Question I

The Governance Task Force saw this issue of "who's in charge" as the key to the entire governance model. In order to insure that the focus of the educational system in California is on the student and support for the best student learning outcomes, California needs a more centralized decision making and funding process and greater decentralization in the delivery of academic programs. The Governor is key to both policy and funding and must therefore have the authority and responsibility for both planning and administration. The Department of Education should be an executive branch operation with which the districts work directly to get support and direction. We need to streamline the system so that the focus is on consistent support for the educational process.