No quick, cheap fix for state's schools

California's immense public school system is plagued by gross inefficiencies and inequalities that will require fundamental reforms and much more money, according to a series of studies released this week.

Suggested reforms included making it easier to fire bad teachers, providing massive infusions of resources to schools that serve the poor, delivering more accurate student data and eliminating excessive paperwork and conflicting rules and directives.

More than a year in the making, the 22 independent reports taken together paint a picture of an education system beyond tinkering, in need of major overhaul. While changes must include a huge, but unspecified, infusion of money, any increase in funding would be squandered without a total rethinking of how education dollars are spent, the authors concluded.

"For too long, California education policy has been made in a haphazard manner," said Ted Mitchell, the former president of Occidental College who is chairman of the governor's education advisory committee. "We've had one-off proposals

The best teachers and administrators have succeeded, he added, "in spite of the system and not because of it."

California ranks near the bottom on many national achievement assessments of states.

The 1,700-page collection, commissioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state Democratic leaders and state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, broke little new ground. The scope and depth of the analysis, however, make it a centerpiece in the debate over how to improve schools. It follows other major Schwarzenegger initiatives, such as his "reinventing government" effort, that have a mixed record of moving from blueprint to reality.

Key findings were unveiled at a Wednesday news conference in Sacramento attended by Schwarzenegger, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), O'Connell and others. It was a bipartisan display likely to come under strain as lawmakers consider crafting reforms.

The governor's committee plans to draw up specific recommendations by late summer or early autumn, Mitchell said.

Three reports, dealing with the politically explosive question of more money for schools, were held back until this morning.

The most eye-catching detail in these reports, obtained by The Times, was the calculation that $1.5 trillion more each year would be needed to make all students academically proficient under the current system. That's about 25 times more than present spending for the K-12 and community college systems, which consumes about half of the state budget.