Education takes back seat

INDIANAPOLIS -- Joe Kernan and Mitch Daniels are a topic of discussion these days as students in a high school government class discuss the differences between Democrats and Republicans in this year's election.\n"They just have different ways of achieving the same thing," David Duncan tells his class at Arlington High School.\nStudents might be talking about the candidates, but the candidates for governor aren't talking much about students or education.\nWith the state facing an $830 million deficit and owing $710 million in back payments to schools, universities and local governments, jobs -- not reading, writing and arithmetic -- likely will sway voters Nov. 2.\n"Everybody is painfully aware that we're broke," said political pollster Brian Vargus. "That overrides everything else."\nThe Kernan and Daniels campaigns say education is still a concern. Both candidates favor full-day kindergarten and expanding charter schools, and both want to make the superintendent of public instruction an appointed, not elected, official.\nKernan has run an ad touting full-day kindergarten. Daniels ran a commercial during the summer about a school he helped found through his church.\nBut both acknowledge that the economy is the front-burner issue.\n"Indiana has been hit hard by the national recession," said Kernan spokeswoman Tina Noel. "In the governor's travels around the state, job growth and business development are the top issues on everybody's mind."\nBill Oesterle, Daniels' campaign manager, said the state's finances require a realistic approach to new proposals.\n"It's difficult to make aggressive proposals in education when there's no money to pay for them," Oesterle said.\nKernan learned that during this year's legislative session. His top priority -- expanding state-funded, full-day kindergarten -- failed after Republicans raised concerns about paying for the program, which had support from both parties.\n"It's just dropped, but nobody's complaining about it because everybody knows we can't afford it," Vargus said of the proposal.\nEducators say it's shortsighted to downplay education for the sake of jobs because what happens in the classroom has a lot to do with improving the economy.\n"I know the other things are extremely important, but I just don't want them to lose sight of how important education and the funding for initiatives are," said Judy Briganti, president of the 48,000-member Indiana State Teachers Association, which is backing Kernan in the election.\nOnly about 20 percent of Indiana residents age 25 or older have a bachelor's degree or higher level of education, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. That puts the state among the lowest 10 in the nation in educational attainment.\nDavid Holt, vice president of workforce development policy for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, said a better education system could help attract companies to Indiana, which in turn would bring more jobs.\n"Education is economic development," Holt said. "We need to have a world-class education system. Without education, it's hard to attract people here."\nBrittany Smith, 16, a student in Duncan's class, would like to hear more from the candidates about college affordability and funding for schools.\n"They need to be talking more about education," Smith said.\nHer teacher agreed.\n"Education's important for the entire state," Duncan said. "If we better educate the young people, there'll be more jobs"