EDITORIAL: Larry Aceves for superintendent of public instruction
By The Bakersfield Californian
California schools deserve a leader with recent, relevant experience in education and a minimum of political obligations. In the race for state superintendent of public instruction, one candidate fits the bill.
We endorse Larry Aceves, a veteran school administrator from the San Jose area, for the top job overseeing our children's education.
Aceves comes to the dance with a great degree of independence from special interests and a range of school experience, from the classroom to the administration office.
Though he doesn't like the idea of merit pay, Aceves favors giving extra pay to certain teachers who work in underperforming schools, as well as bonuses for those who teach math, science and second-language classes -- three subjects in which highly qualified teachers are scarce. And as the former president of the Association of California School Administrators, he knows something about managing other educators.
His opponent, termed-out Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, is a respected and conscientious former educator who would undoubtedly perform well in office. His ties to the California Teachers Association raise red flags, however. If and when issues about teacher performance, tenure and compensation come up, California can't have the tail wagging the dog. We need a neutral perspective.
Aceves has a solid grasp of our schools' current needs. In a race with two well-qualified candidates, he's the best choice for state superintendent of public instruction.
We urge voters to check his name on Nov. 2.
Most CommentedMost Popular
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine...
The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging...
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is out of control. That's one conclusion many people will draw based on the events of the past two weeks and in the context of recent years.
A draft city ordinance that would have restricted abortion in Bakersfield was placed on hold Monday when the Bakersfield City Council's Legislative and Litigation Committee voted 3-0 to table its discussion indefinitely, and instead, ordered the drafting of a resolution that could be less...
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine and other drugs in his system at the time of his death.
Classes were canceled at Bakersfield High School Monday after three small bottle bomb explosions struck campus, authorities said.
David Sal Silva’s screams seem like they will never stop.