By Melissa Grothus
July 30, 2007

U.S. Conference of Mayors President Trenton (NJ) Mayor Douglas H. Palmer delivered the keynote address on July 13 to thousands of pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers at the American Federation of Teachers’ Quality Educational Standards in Teaching (QuEST) Conference plenary session in Washington (DC).

Palmer was joined by Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, at the morning plenary session titled, Partnerships that Support Public Schools, moderated by AFT President Edward J. McElroy. Palmer and Sebelius discussed the components that are essential to build a strong community, the role that education plays in that effort, and the myriad other issues “outside the classroom” that mayors and governors have to manage.

“Our communities are only as strong as our schools,” said Palmer in his opening remarks. “Poverty is too expensive and we need an educated and skilled workforce for the economic vitality of our cities,” he said. Sebelius concurred with the notion that a strong school system leads to a viable economy. “The best economic development dollars are spent in our schools,” she said.

Noting the controversy and tensions among various factions of government surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), McElroy posed a question to Palmer and Sebelius about how they view the current legislation.

“No Child Left Untested,” Sebelius corrected “is fundamentally set up for failure. The micro-management from the federal government with no additional funding or input from teachers is designed to fail. It’s like building a house without a foundation.”

Palmer agreed, explaining, “We have to find ways to reject the status quo. We have to stop teaching to the test and start really educating our youngsters. You can’t use a cookie-cutter approach when it comes to education.”

Palmer noted that as the 2008 election approaches, “We must push presidential candidates to talk about domestic issues. Domestic priorities have been hurt by the war in Iraq. The U.S. Conference of Mayors put together a 10-point priority plan and we are determined to push our domestic agenda to the presidential candidates.”

According to Sebelius, the word “education” has not been used in any of the presidential candidate debates. “We are building schools all across Iraq while we have crumbling ones back home. The focus must come back home, and we must insist that candidates talk about the future of education,” she said.

“Education is the issue in America today. We cannot afford not to be involved,” explained Palmer in conclusion. “It’s going to take mayors, governors and most importantly the American public to affect real change and make this a priority.”