Ed board shuffle: a lesson in irony

HOW IRONIC that in the article "Governor seeks larger education board" (City & Region, June 27), a Pioneer Institute representative would criticize Governor Patrick's move to expand the current board of education from nine members to 13. As noted, it was Governor Weld in 1996 who successfully pushed legislation through a Democratic-controlled Legislature to downsize the board from 17 members to nine, with the governor having immediate power of appointment over the majority of board members. This was the first time in the board's history that a sitting governor had the power to appoint a majority of members all at once.

All five of Weld's appointments were affiliated with the Pioneer Institute or a like-minded conservative think tank, thereby controlling the interests of state education policy. As a result, we experienced support for for-profit charter schools and vouchers and a focus on a single statewide test rather than on an assessment system as called for in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System .

I applaud Patrick for moving to right a wrong committed by a former governor and to restore the state board of education to a more balanced composition in the true spirit of democratic dialogue.

DAN FRENCH
Executive director
Center for Collaborative Education
Boston