Our View: Incumbent’s shortcomings not enough to turn her out

The race for superintendent for public instruction presents a high-stakes test for Washington voters. Do they want to re-elect Terry Bergeson for a fourth term or choose one of her five opponents, all of whom would put the state on a different course?

Education reform has had a rocky run during Bergeson’s 12 years at the helm, and the Washington Assessment of Student Learning seems to become less popular each year. But it’s only fair to point out that the test was the Legislature’s creation and that the federal dictates of the No Child Left Behind Act have forced it to become a bigger burden to schools than it was intended to be.

If Bergeson had her way, the feds would butt out, and the WASL wouldn’t be administered every year. Initially, the test was only given in the fourth, seventh and 10th grades. She says there are much less expensive and less intrusive ways to gather assessment data to hold schools accountable.

The math assessment has been a failure, and Bergeson bears some responsibility for that, but the state has made the necessary adjustments. She does have a tendency to gloss over bad news, such as spinning the high school dropout rate. However, Bergeson has maintained a clear focus on the goal of making sure a diploma is meaningful.

Of her five rivals, Randy Dorn appears to have the only serious shot at unseating her. Dorn, executive director of Public School Employees of Washington, was a chief architect of education reform as a state legislator. He criticizes Bergeson for losing sight of the original goals.

The Washington Education Association endorsed Dorn after its original choice, Rich Semler, dropped out of the race. Dorn says the WASL must be replaced with a less expensive assessment that quickly diagnoses problems and reports them to schools. He has also highlighted the dropout rate and the need to secure more funding for schools.

The funding issue is the province of the Legislature, which already has a task force working on the funding formula. So Dorn won’t be breaking news to lawmakers. Bergeson has lobbied for more money, too. Dorn does not present a compelling plan for fixing the dropout rate.

We’re concerned that Dorn’s ideas for overhauling the standardized assessment would be more responsive to the wishes of the teachers union, rather than the overall needs of the state. Some of his criticisms are on target, but we’re not convinced that his blunt style of leadership can bring important stakeholders, such as the business community, on board.

After 12 years, Bergeson has shown that she has the passion to oversee education reform and a thick enough hide to endure criticism and then make adjustments. The state needn’t return to the drawing board.