Eye On Education: Gubernatorial Candidates Baker, Coakley Weigh In On Education Plans
BOSTON (CBS) – In a recent WBZ/UMass Amherst poll of Massachusetts voters, education was one of the top issues of concern.
As part of our Eye on Education series, we talked to the two major party candidates for governor about their plans for educating the children of the Commonwealth.
Charlie Baker said he would like to lift the cap on the number of charter schools. He likes a bill passed by the House of Representatives but that got stuck in the Senate.
"I am a big believer in doing what we can do close the achievement gap," he said.
Martha Coakely would like to get 17,000 children off the waiting list for early education. She believes she could find the money in the state budget to fund this endeavor. She cites an improved economy as one way the state will see more revenue coming in.
Another big issue for the next administration will be dealing with the Common Core. Massachusetts will need to decide whether to accept federal dollars in exchange for adopting national standards for curriculum and standardized testing.
"We have to be aware that neither the federal government nor big corporations should be dictating how we are teaching our kids. I think that we are at a state that values education, that we invest in it," Coakley said.
She did express concerns students are spending too might time as it is on standardized testing.
Baker said he remains a skeptic on Common Core. He believes this still needs a "frothy debate...and let's decide if this is going to make it easier or harder for Massachusetts to continue to lead the country in education."
Both candidates were quick to recall a personal memory of how they were impacted by a good teacher when they were growing up.
Charlie Baker said it was Mrs. Manahan, his 5th grade teacher.
"She said to me one day, and I will never forget it, she said, 'Charlie, you can really write. You should be spending a lot more time reading and writing,'" Baker recalled. "And I went home and told my mom, and she said, 'You know, I think you're a pretty good writer too.' But I said, 'Yea, but you're my mom.'"
Martha Coakley recalled a teacher from her days at Drury High School in North Adams.
"I had a terrific teacher in Don Pecour who was a history teacher who made us write papers every week, who taught us not to just read history and report back, but to analyze it, and that opened up a whole new world to me," Coakley said.
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