Orr: Make governor accountable on schools

Bob Orr wants to make the governor more accountable for education.

In a plan released this morning, the Republican gubernatorial candidate said he wants to fundamentally change the way the state's public education system works, some of which would mean changing the state constitution.

Among other things, he would:

* Make the state Superintendent of Public Instruction an appointed, not elected, office.

* Make the governor responsible for public schools.

* Elect eight members to the State Board of Education and have the governor appoint three others.

Orr said this would increase accountability and oversight for education, while clarifying the responsibility of the governor to improve public schools.

He argued that it's "disingenuous" for state officials to call for responsibility for education by principals and teachers, yet not take responsibility themselves.

"If the next governor wants to be an education governor, then that person has to be fully responsible for the successes as well as the failures in the public schools," he said.