The latest California Field Poll shows that, while many of Governor Schwarzenegger's reform proposals - the Govern-ator has dubbed this the "Year of Reform" in the Golden State - garner only lukewarm support, his idea of teacher merit pay (see here) is a genuine hit. A solid 60 percent of registered voters are in favor, with Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisans all providing praise. As pollster Mark DiCamillo notes, "The concept is intuitively appealing to voters. Merit pay is really the way they believe most things should work in the world, and they would like it for teachers as well." Schwarzenegger is still trying to work out a deal with legislators to approve the proposal. If it moves forward at all - the Sacramento Bee reports that Schwarzenegger might be backing off a bit - it will likely be as part of a special referendum later this year. You can expect the teachers' union to come out swinging, and it always has plenty of money with which to swing. As the Press-Telegram concludes, "It's going to be an ugly year."
"Governor revs up ballot drives," by Andy Furillo, Sacramento Bee, March 2, 2005
"Let the duels begin," Long Beach Press-Telegram, March 1, 2005
"Field Poll: Most initiatives urged by governor have slim leads," by Gary Delsohn, Sacramento Bee, February 24, 2005