By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

Ted Lempert was forced out of the 21st Assembly District because of term limits, but he didn’t leave politics. The Silicon Valley legislator now focuses on school reform. Lempert explained to Los Altos Rotarians April 5 how his new lobby group called EdVoice will change education.

“EdVoice fills a critical void in California. The public now has the power at their fingertips to make a real difference in California’s education policy,” Lempert said. “There is a need for a statewide, grass-roots organization advocating education reform and support for public education.”

Lempert said there are so many bills introduced in Sacramento that the average citizen doesn’t know where to seek information on the state education system.

“That’s why I started EdVoice,” Lempert explained. “We are a network of individuals who are concerned with the critical issues that will set the state back on the right track.”

According to Lempert, teachers have the single greatest impact on academic achievement, yet California lacks qualified teachers, especially in math and science. Within the next 10 years, the state will need 250,000 new teachers. Lempert also said we have to change teacher credentialing to focus on the subject matter.

“We need to provide incentive dollars to attract great teachers to schools in low-income areas with bonus pay,” Lempert said. “We need to increase teacher salaries and allow for promotions and raises like other professional areas, and EdVoice will help to do this.”

EdVoice reflects some of Silicon Valley’s political muscle and money. It is funded by a group of 10-12 individuals who seek improvements in education results. Its operating budget for this year is $1.2 million, most of which was collected from wealthy Silicon Valley businesspeople who have a responsible interest in public education.

EdVoice advocates that more resources go directly to the school site, and that principals be given the flexibility and responsibility to achieve high standards.

EdVoice points out that charter schools not only provide more parental control over the educational and financial decisions at the school, they also serve as the model for decentralizing all schools. “Charter schools are free from the education codes,” Lempert said. “They also provide a sense of positive competition and get parents actively involved.”

People interested in the grass-roots approach to changing education can logon to EdVoice’s Web site at www.edvoice.net.