Bush details anti-bias plan

TRAINING ACHIEVERS: The governor proposes a variety of ways to reach out to students at low-performing schools.

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By BARRY KLEIN and STEPHEN HEGARTY

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 10, 1999

In calling for an end to racial preferences in university admissions, Gov. Jeb Bush aimed most of his message Tuesday at the public's distaste for a system that he said pits "one racial group against another."

It's well meaning, he said, but ultimately self-defeating to send unqualified kids off to college only to see them fail.

That's why Bush's plan is likely to be felt more in Florida's troubled public schools than in its universities.

The reason is as simple as Bush's proposed alternative to race-based admissions: his guarantee that those who graduate in the top 20 percent of their public high school class will get a spot in any of eight Florida universities, regardless of their test scores.

Unless the state's K-12 system can produce a pool of top graduates that reflects Florida ethnic diversity, Bush said, the plan won't do a thing to increase opportunity.

"Preferences in higher education have been used to mask the failure of our low-performing schools," said the governor, who was flanked Tuesday by university system Chancellor Adam Herbert and House Speaker John Thrasher. "The old solutions are not working."

Bush's proposal for the public schools involves a hodgepodge of partnerships, challenges and financial incentives. All are designed to assist students at low-performing schools and get them qualified for college.

"We can come up with all the programs we want for college admissions, but if they don't have the base to be successful, it's not going to amount to much," said state Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher, whose department would play a major role in implementing Bush's plan.

Bush is recommending a $1.6-million program to pay for every 10th-grader to take the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test, which helps students get ready for the SAT exam used in college admissions.

He also is suggesting a partnership with the College Board to help train teachers in Florida's lowest-rated high schools, and to increase Advanced Placement test offerings, especially in those poor-performing schools.

The College Board, which is best known for administering the SAT test used in college admissions, has partnerships with three other states: Georgia, South Carolina and Indiana. But the agreement with Florida would be the most wide-ranging, said spokeswoman Chiara Coletti.

In keeping with the governor's aversion to mandates, Bush is challenging colleges and universities to "adopt" low-performing schools and is offering financial incentives to teachers whose students pass Advanced Placement courses.

Schools already are reimbursed for the extra costs of Advanced Placement classes when their students pass the AP test. Bush would have some of that money go directly to the teachers.

Critics see the incentives and challenges as just another example of a "tinkering" approach to school reform.

"It seems it's always a little more money for this teacher or that teacher, but not enough of the significant stuff," said Cathy Kelly, assistant executive director for the FTP-NEA teachers union. "You don't just increase AP courses without dealing with the issue of how many students really qualify for these advanced courses."

State Rep. Les Miller, D-Tampa, credited Bush for trying to make college available to more students. But he characterized the package as inadequate to fix the public schools.

"While the governor is proposing a trickle of resources aimed at the higher grades, the students and teachers in the lagging elementary schools demand a river of attention," Miller said.

Some elements of the governor's plan still were unclear late Tuesday.

University system officials said they aren't sure what impact eliminating race as an admissions factor will have on graduate school enrollment. Minority activists have long complained about the relatively small numbers of African-American doctors and lawyers being produced in Florida.

Another critical question, especially politically, is whether some will gain, but only at the expense of others.

Officials say Bush's 20 percent admission guarantee could add as many as 1,200 minority students to Florida campuses next fall.

Does that represent an additional 1,200 seats in the university system, or would some of those students be taking spots from white counterparts who might have been deemed more qualified under the current system? Chancellor Herbert insisted that is not the case.

"If by adopting this, we enhance minority participation in the university system, it's a great idea," said Dennis Ross, a member of the state Board of Regents.

But that will require money from the state Legislature. "This can't work without additional resources," Ross said.

Bush's proposal has the strong backing of Herbert, who said he will present it to the regents at a meeting next week in Jacksonville. The 20 percent plan would not apply to the state's two most selective schools, the University of Florida and Florida State University.

Both Bush and Herbert took pains to note that even if the board agrees to scratch race as an admissions factor, universities will have ample flexibility to ensure against a decline in minority enrollment.

Federal law allows public universities to rely on numerous other "race-neutral" factors in admissions, including income level, geography, special talents and an applicant's being the first in a family to attend college.

Bush is not the first governor to propose a blanket guarantee of admission based on class rank. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, his brother, helped institute a similar policy there two years ago.

The results are difficult to characterize. Some Texas universities have increased their minority enrollment; others have seen declines.

California voted three years ago to end racial preferences in university admissions, and some analysts say the change has forced initiatives similar to those proposed Tuesday.

The University of California-Berkeley, one of the nation's top research schools, started an outreach program to improve poor-performing public schools in neighboring cities. Methods include after-school and in-school tutoring, teacher training and Internet-based curriculum enhancements.

"I think Gov. (Bush) has the right focus; you don't solve the higher education problems without looking at K through 12," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. "When you have kids entering college and taking remedial courses, you're not solving the problem."

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