By Kevin Johnson
Mayor of Sacramento
You answer the bell when the White House calls. Especially when the topic is education.
In recent days, the Mayor’s office has been honored with two requests to help lead the education reform discussion on a national level.
I will be serving as co-chair of a Mayor’s Advisory Board for U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
And I will be chairing a Task Force created by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to establish how mayors can assist with education issues across our nation.
Both jobs underscore my passion for education. I know we can do better – as a city, a state and a country. We can improve how we teach our children.
The mayor’s role in education is really a matter of self-motivation. There’s no requirement for the Mayor of Sacramento to get involved in education. I have no formal role in the operation of local schools.
But there’s no way I can stand on the sideline when it comes to educating our children. Education and schools impact just about every aspect of municipal government, from public safety to economic development.
When children go to school in the Sacramento City, Elk Grove, Natomas, Twin Rivers or other school districts, they technically leave the jurisdiction of the city. But they are still our kids – coming from our homes, walking on our sidewalks and returning along our streets.
And when they grow up, they will be our residents, finding jobs, building families, making the contributions that allow a city to prosper.
A city that lacks great schools can’t prosper.
So when I meet with my mayoral counterparts in Washington or around the country, when I visit Secretary Duncan and President Obama and national education leaders, I’m focused on making sure every child from every neighborhood has as the best opportunity to excel.
This means working with teachers and parents and school leaders. This means creating an atmosphere of parental choice and accountability.
You can’t have a great city without great schools.
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