Comments on the Dialogue

Closing Comments to the E-Dialogue

On behalf of the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education and Joint Committee staff, I want to thank all of you for your participation in these two weeks of discussion about various aspects of the Master Plan, your suggestions for improving the draft, and your thoughts about what topics should be covered in the Plan but were not in the first draft. This has been a new and exciting way to speak with Californians and gather feedback in an effort to craft a policy document that will have far-reaching positive impact for all of us. 

Some of you may be wondering what happens next. Summarized below are the major activities called for in our work plan to complete the development of a new Master Plan for Education.

1. Joint Committee staff will review all of the comments and suggestions received over these two weeks and identify those that help clarify intent, offer concrete suggestions that would improve the document, or could be used otherwise to strengthen the next draft of the Master Plan. These comments and suggestions will be combined with feedback received by the end of June through electronic testimony, informational hearings, and regional town hall meetings.

2. Joint Committee staff will use these comments and suggestions as part of the basis for revising the first draft and will release a second draft by mid July.

3. Comments received by Joint Committee members and others by the end of July will be used to refine the draft still further for final consideration and adoption by the Joint Committee, by the end of August.

4. Following adoption of the final Master Plan for Education and the final report of the Joint Committee, the documents will be released to the general public in both electronic and print form, and will be distributed to all members of the legislature. 

5. Joint Committee staff will then attempt to summarize the comments received from e-dialogue and e-testimony contributors, grouped by category, and with information about how these suggestions influenced the final Plan.

6.  Implementation legislation will be drafted to implement those provisions of the final Master Plan that require statutory authorization or definition, for introduction at the beginning of the 2003-04 legislative session.

Again, thank you for your willingness to participate in this discussion about the future of California education. We hope that you choose to continue your engagement by reviewing subsequent drafts and monitoring implementation of the final Master Plan as adopted.