Brown elected California governor

By Catherine Tadina

Democrat Jerry Brown defeated Republican Meg Whitman in the California gubernatorial election held Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Brown won 53.6 percent of the popular vote over Whitman’s 41.3 percent, a difference of approximately one million votes. This will be Brown’s third non-consecutive term, his last governorship running from 1978 to 1983. Brown will be replacing incumbent governor Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger on January 3, 2011.

Social studies teacher Steve Simondi said he is not surprised of Jerry Brown’s victory. “Mr. Jerry Brown is what I call a politician’s politician; he knows how to run the campaign,” Simondi said. “Meg Whitman lost for a number of reasons: one, she was a cold candidate; two, most Californians vote Democrat; three, in California we don’t seem to elect very wealthy people. Meg Whitman was inclined to buy the election; she spent $141 million of her own money.” Simondi also quipped that Whitman “looked like a female Benjamin Franklin.”

Funding of public secondary and postsecondary schools is a top priority for Brown with regards to his policies concerning education. Brown supported the defeated Proposition 98 from last 2008, which proposed the allotment of 40 percent of state spending to public schools and colleges.

One of Brown’s policies that will most likely affect high schools in South San Francisco is the changing of school funding formulas. The current, somewhat bureaucratic, funding system for public schools which includes 62 different criteria, will be simplified to a customized formula that is based on meeting the needs of the students in the school district.

He also plans on working towards simplifying the Education Code, giving school districts more leeway on meeting school standards. He aims to get schools focused on teaching “a more balanced and creative school curriculum.”

“I think it’s a good investment to the future of our generation,” senior William Lai said regarding Brown’s policy of increased use of technology in schools. “[Increasing technology] can create more jobs later in the future … and potentially help decrease debt in California.”

With one out of four California students not proficient in English, Brown hopes to increase English proficiency and high school graduation rates in his education policy. He hopes to achieve this by “adopting instructional materials that provide intensive intervention and support for English learners,” as well as expanding after-school and summer school English learning programs.

“I see California once again leading … in public education and openness to every kind of person, whatever their color is,” Brown said.