QUINCY -- Gov. Deval Patrick envisions full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes, a longer school day with more experiential education and free community college and apprenticeship programs.
The governor launched his quest to create a comprehensive education plan for the state with a town-hall style meeting in Quincy on Thursday night, using the grass-roots style employed last year in his campaign for governor.
"What I'm interested in is what strate gies we can put in place," he told the au dience of more than 100 people at the Merrymount School in the city's Adams Shore neighborhood. "Is this the right vi sion in your view?" Patrick asked residents community members to ask themselves how much education makes a difference, what outcomes they want, how much it would cost and how much they are willing to pay.
He said they should look not only at what they should be doing but also at what they should stop doing.
Among other things, people in the audience expressed concern about creating more unfunded mandates and talked about creating spaces where parents could get information about other public programs.
"There's no doubt in my mind if we are as ambitious in the next 10 years as I want us to be, we are going to have to raise revenues," Patrick said.
Asked about neighborhood schools, Patrick said he walked to school and considers neighborhood schools a "wonderful model." But he also said he believes in a reasonable amount of choice and that "diversity in the student body is good."
Patrick reiterated his commitment to giving in-state college tuition to the children of illegal immigrants.
"Yes, we'll get this sorted," he said to a group of people wearing "Same State, Same Rate" stickers, referring to the controversy.
Patrick announced the drive to create a comprehensive 10-year education plan in June. Since then, he has appointed a leadership council for what he is calling the Commonwealth Readiness Project and more than 150 volunteers to serve on subcommittees to help with the task. The education task force is expected to present a strategic plan to Patrick in the spring. It will look at costs and present recommendations for implementing the recommended actions to move the state forward on the governor's proposals.
Thursday night's forum was the first public meeting in the process. People from other area communities attended, too. Patrick used his own life as an example, saying that when he was growing up, he shared a room with his mother, sister and a grandparent, and slept in bunks and on the floor, but while his own daughter had, by the age of 18, lived on three continents and shaken a president's hand.
"How does that happen in one genera tion?" he asked. "Education is how that happens."
Although he voiced support for the MCAS testing system, Patrick said it might be time to look at it more closely.
"My point is simply we've had enough experience with MCAS to ask ques tions," he said. "Is the test we have the test we need?"
Several people in the audience members said they swere pleased with Patrick's ap proach. "I think his heart is in the right place," said Kelly Scola, who has children at tending the Merrymount School. "I thought it was amazing," said William Pavao, a history teacher at Central Middle School. "I want to make sure teachers are involved in the process. That needs to happen."
Diana Schoberg may be reached at dschoberg@ledger.com.
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