"Look, it's the government!" squealed an overexcited kindergartner at the San Carlos Charter School in California on Thursday, pointing to Floyd Kvamme and John Doerr of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byer. "Hi, government!"
The 5-year-old wasn't the only one who seemed more impressed by the venture capitalists than by the real government officials -- California's governor, Pete Wilson, and a brace of state legislators -- who stood in a light drizzle on the charter school's playground for a bill-signing ceremony.
The Republican governor was signing into law a bill sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Ted Lempert that will make it much easier to start charter schools in California, and increase their number next year from the current 130 to 250.
In subsequent years, the law will allow creation of 100 new charter campuses -- schools founded under the aegis of public school districts, but with curricula and programs, developed by parents and teachers, that usually depart from the general learning approach of standard schools.
The not-so-unseen powers behind the bill's passage are the Technology Network (TechNet), the Silicon Valley political action committee co-chaired by Doerr that has made education one of its top priorities, and the efforts of software entrepreneur Reed Hastings, who launched a ballot initiative on charter schools that convinced legislators to take action.
"The initiative tipped the balance," said Hastings, "and made Sacramento understand it would be quite disadvantageous to oppose [Silicon Valley] on this issue."
Governor Wilson, citing "bipartisan support for our state's children," nodded to the entrepreneurs when he said "public schools must be driven by the same values that guide the Silicon Valley success story -- excellence, competition, and quality control."
To that list of values TechNet can now add political savvy, turn-on-a-dime fund-raising ability, and tough bipartisan dealmaking.
"For anyone who doesn't believe you can get a good idea made into a good law, check this out," said TechNet's political director, Wade Randlett. "From the first conversation I had with Ted Lempert to today, it took us just 45 days. Forty-five days and three and a half million dollars -- yeah, I think people will pay attention when we raise other [education] issues. We're going to keep pushing hard."
