Robert Robb, editorial writer for The Arizona Republic, had an excellent article in last week’s paper entitled “No One Has the Job of Improving Learning in Arizona.”

In this limited space I cannot do justice to what Mr. Robb had to say, so bear with me as I offer this very limited summary.

The State Superintendent of Schools has little authority to take action; rather, that office enforces rules set by others for K-12 education.

County School Superintendents are primarily involved with setting local school tax rates.

While the State Board of Education establishes curriculum and measurement standards, their system for determining accountability lacks cohesiveness.

Arizona has a newly- formed School Facilities Board, but the governor and the legislators have not provided the board with any funds.

Local school boards have a very difficult time finding candidates to run for office.

Mr. Robb concludes: “But until there is fundamental management reform that provides clear responsibility and accountability, do not expect anything to change except the terminology of failure.”

Keeping the preceding in mind, Republicans, who control both houses and the governorship, want to reduce federal oversight of K-12 education so they can do more at the state level. And, they apparently wish to do this while having an organizational chart with no direct lines connecting the boxes.

Who, other than politicians, lobbies for a major increase in responsibility without making sure proper management practices or an acceptable business model are in place in order to effectively absorb the additional workload?

Hopefully Mr. Robb’s column assists in getting Arizonans talking about what appears to be an antiquated, politically constructed and patchwork way of managing K-12 education in our state.

Our children’s and our grandchildren’s future is too important to be left in the hands of often fanciful grandstanding politicians.