Piecemeal Fixes or Revamp the System? How I’d Make Schools Work : Begin with statewide early childhood programs and smaller class sizes. Funding is a No. 1 priority.

The president of the California Trucking Assn. recently told me that the industry finds many high school graduates unable to fill out an employment application properly. Today, one out of three high school students in California drops out by the 10th grade. Our classrooms are among the most overcrowded in the country. And despite the fact that achievement-test scores have been improving, our students still perform below the national average.

So what can we do? Let me summarize some of our proposals:

* Early childhood education --As I’ve traveled across California, I’ve asked education experts if there is one program that could reduce the high school dropout rate. To a person, they have responded, “early childhood education.” Teachers often say that they can tell very early when a child is not going to make it. Quality education for 4-year-olds in classes small enough to allow the teacher to establish the routine and discipline of learning, as well as to give the youngster a “jump-start” on fundamentals, can make a dramatic difference later on. Studies show that a youngster is 40% more likely to graduate from high school and 60% more apt to get a job by age 19 with the benefit of early childhood education.

I have proposed that early childhood education be offered throughout the state to every 4-year-old who needs it and wants it.

I propose a twofold method of funding. First, I want to increase education’s share of state lottery funds to 50% from 34%, earmarking the new dollars for early childhood education. I have also endorsed Proposition 133, the Safe Streets Act of 1990, which would provide $235 million to expand access to early childhood education.

* California must set performance standards for students and make sure they meet them-- Let’s end the practice of promoting and graduating youngsters who are failing. A school that promotes or graduates a youngster with Ds and Fs effectively condemns that youngster to failure.

* Class - size reduction-- California class sizes are the second-largest in the nation. We can reduce them in two ways. First, by reducing the two-thirds vote required to pass local school bonds to a simple majority, which would allow us to build the schools we need. “One person, one vote” has always been the watchword of a democracy. Why should one-third-plus-one of the electorate be able to stop a community from building the schools it needs?

We need to use available schools year-round. Although this often brings an initial adverse reaction from parents, “multitrack” programs are being used in many schools with great success. It is one of the less costly ways of reducing class size.

Also, legislation is pending to set up two-year community college courses to train teaching assistants who could aid teachers and thereby help reduce the adverse impact of large classes. I would certainly sign this legislation as governor.

Cooperative work - force training programs-- A number of schools and businesses are experimenting with these programs. Students who participate agree to maintain a solid attendance record and meet certain goals. They are paid by participating businesses for part-time jobs during the school year and receive on-the-job training. Each student is also assigned a mentor from the participating business who works with the student. Students who do well in the program are guaranteed a job after graduation, or a scholarship to a college or technical-training program.

By “adopting” a youngster every year for the past four years and by helping others through the establishment of a special program for at-risk youngsters in San Francisco, I have seen the tremendous impact individual attention can have on a young person’s life. I have learned that often one person who cares can be a lifeline that makes all the difference to a youngster who has little or no home support.

I would actively encourage businesses in every community in the state to adopt a school, providing equipment and mentors, and to develop a partnership with schools on a continuing basis.

If elected, I will also ask the corporate community to contribute to a unique teachers’ corps concept, whereby college graduates and retirees, for a small salary, might be willing to work in special pilot programs for at-risk young people. We must provide the attention necessary to deal with an increasingly multiethnic and multilingual school population. Motivation is a big part of it.

* Providing financial support for education-- Unlike my opponent, I strongly support Proposition 98, which sets aside 40% of state general funds for public schools. It is as important to the well-being of the state as Proposition 13 was to the taxpayer.

* Support magnet schools-- Magnet schools that offer specialized courses--an emphasis on the arts, on medical studies or on the sciences, for example--should be encouraged as a way to offer parents and students greater choice.

We all want our children to do better than we have. Education is the key to opportunity. It opens the door. It is the way up and the way out. It must be our state’s No. 1 funding priority, and it must command the next governor’s constant attention. If I am that governor, I would hope that after four years, every man, woman and child in this state would truly understand the importance and the value of an education, and be determined to see that our children have that opportunity.