By Aishatu Yusuf and Annie Finch
July 4, 2011

“Education is the most important job issue of our time,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Chair of the Mayors Task Force on Public Schools, told the mayors gathered for the Conference of Mayors Business Council Breakfast on June 18. The breakfast, chaired by Long Beach (CA) Mayor Bob Foster, examined teacher tenure and the elimination of “Last In, First Out” (LIFO) in education reform during a panel discussion with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Education Tony Miller, Founder and CEO of Students First Save the Great Teachers Campaign Michelle Rhee, and Former President of the Washington (DC) Teachers Union George Parker. Johnson moderated the discussion.

Johnson opened the panel with a discussion on the spectrum of mayoral involvement in education. He stressed the need for mayors to be familiar with federal education policy and its impact on cities, the reauthorization the Elementary and Secondary Education Reform Act (ESEA), LIFO, and the importance of mayoral involvement in education reform. “We cannot sit on the sidelines, we cannot sit in the backseat, we must play critical role in the education of our children,” said Johnson.

According to Villaraigosa, “Education is the most important economic, democratic, and civil rights issue of our time.” He emphasized the need for mayoral action and engagement in public education reform. Although Villaraigosa does not have full control over Los Angeles schools, he exerted his mayoral influence by becoming heavily involved in a recent school board election. Villaraigosa also touched on the importance of teacher union and district collaboration in order for education reform to be successful. Regardless of the spectrum of mayoral control over their city schools, “Mayors must have the courage to take action in education,” said Villaraigosa.

Miller offered a national perspective, stressing the need for non-partisan collaboration on education reform. “Education is not a political issue, but a non-partisan issue,” said Miller. “We are in an education crisis in this nation, and in order to remedy this crisis we must redefine what it means to be a highly effective teacher by linking teacher evaluation to student achievement.”

According to Rhee, “Teachers need to be engaged in the reform process” for reform to gain widespread teacher support and approval. Rhee also emphasized the need to keep children at the center of the education reform debate. She concluded by stressing the importance of creating effective learning environments for students. “When we create the right environment, kids will rise to our expectations” said Rhee.

Parker reemphasized the importance of putting students first. He insisted that what is good for students is also good for teachers and unions. As the former President of the Washington (DC) Teachers Union, Parker believes, “Unions don’t have to end to solve this problem. It is vital for teacher’s unions and school districts to collaborate on these important issues. “If we do not eliminate LIFO, we cannot guarantee the best teachers in front of children” concluded Parker.

Panelists ended the session by addressing the importance of reforming and reauthorizing ESEA. “Without education reform, the education crisis in this country will only continue” remarked Miller. Education reform cannot succeed without mayoral involvement and support. Concluding the panel discussion, Johnson remarked “We cannot have a great city without great schools.”