Tucson, Arizona Friday, 11 May 2001
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/10511rMolera.html
By Rhonda Bodfield Sander
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Jaime Molera
PHOENIX - Gov. Jane Hull's top education adviser, Jaime Molera, officially took the helm of the state's Education Department Thursday.
Molera, 33, will replace outgoing Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan, who announced last week she'll step down to run a Washington, D.C.-based think tank on school reform.
It was a poignant moment for Molera, who was raised in Nogales. Nearly 75 years ago, he said, his grandfather, Alfredo Valencia, wanted to go to college and become a teacher after his high school graduation. He was told Mexicans don't go to college and he should work with his hands. He eventually became the head custodian for Nogales School District.
"I stand here, not because I'm smarter or worked harder than he did. I stand here because my family gave me a foundation from which I can build," Molera said. "It is the same foundation we must give each and every child in Arizona."
Energy and experience
Hull said she chose from a multitude of good candidates but settled on Molera, because of his energy and experience helping push through two major education initiatives: last year's sales tax boost for education and the state's program to pay for new schools and repairs of old ones. "I wanted to look at somebody who cares about children and their futures the way that I do," she said.
Fans of Molera say he will bring a new perspective and energy to an office often at odds with public education lobbies. Critics, however, complain of his sometimes heavy-handed politics and conservative views on education.
In a press conference before the private swearing-in ceremony, Molera was careful not to announce any major policy shifts, even when pressed for specific changes to AIMS - the state's high-stakes graduation exam - or bilingual education.
"As a staffer, I know that a lot of times when you start speculating in public, it becomes reality," he said.
But he did provide a few clues to where he'll be coming from, especially when thanking his former boss Keegan for her "commitment to students and families over educational status quo and bureaucracy." Then he added: "Lisa's commitment is my commitment."
Indeed, sounding like he was reading a page from the Keegan playbook, Molera pledged to support parental choice, work for high standards and defeat low expectations.
"I believe in high academic standards and an assessment of those standards. The question is not if, but how, we implement AIMS," he said.
While political observers don't expect a profound policy shift from Molera's leadership, they do anticipate a different style.
"I would suspect he'll be more of a consensus- builder and bridge-builder," said Sam Polito, a lobbyist representing Marana schools.
Some reserving judgment
While education leaders say Molera is a good listener, some are reserving judgment. Sen. Mary Hartley, D-Phoenix, questioned his style and his experience. "He's always been the mouthpiece for other people's policies, so I have no idea what the real Mr. Molera stands for."
Keegan countered that Molera is passionate. And should be. "In this battle, where we have a lot of kids not succeeding, the goal is the kids. The goal is not that everybody adores you."
Tommy Espinoza, senior business adviser for the National Council of La Raza, said he got tingles watching Molera accept the post, recalling an eighth-grade counselor who told him he should be a brick mason.
"As superintendent, his obligation is the education of all children, but those kinds of scars he spoke of ensure he'll give a different sensitivity to the needs of all students," Espinoza said. "I'm not afraid to tell you that as a third generation Mexican-American, I'm very proud."
* Contact Rhonda Bodfield Sander in Phoenix at (602) 271-0623 or at rhondab@azstarnet.com.
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