Mick Zais, an Army general now president of Newberry College, began his discussion of his candidacy for state Superintendent of Schools with The Sun News editorial board with a nearly half-hour unbroken monologue. It was actually a pretty impressive display, easy to follow because it was so clearly ordered, and likely indicative of a highly organized mind.
Among its highlights: After an impressive military career, Zais took the reins at Newberry in its death throws, he said, and over eight years restored it from the brink of dissolution into a highly regarded private college. As superintendent, Zais would concentrate on spending education money more efficiently, using public schools to develop the state's workforce, improving graduation rates, improving the safety of schools and improving choice in the public school system (including tax credits for low-income students or those in failing schools).
Zais spoke to us May 11. Find our questions, what few we had left, after the video.
- 0:00 Introduction.
- 28:59 Describe your leadership style during Newberry's turnaround.
- 37:30 How much of the state's education budget should make it into the classroom?
- 39:06 With more cuts expected to schools next year, how will you be able to begin your reform plans?
- As he was leaving, Zais realized he had forgotten to mention one more opportunity for reform: the state currently has 76 different education funding streams, he said, created to satisfy legislators' pet projects but often restricting the individual school districts' abilities to allocate money where it's most needed. Unfortunately, we had already disassembled the video camera and didn't catch this point.
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