ATKINSON: "I would amend state law ... (to make) it very clear that the state superintendent runs the Department of Public Instruction, and as the law says today, the superintendent would be responsible for carrying out the educational policies of the State Board of Education. I have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the State Board of Education. I have been pleased with their willingness to listen to my major recommendations about policies. But I think it would be better for public education, ultimately, to have the state superintendent in charge of running the Department of Public Instruction."

MORGAN: "We need to improve our governance system. Everyone in the General Assembly has heard it. We have too many players in the decision-making process in public schools."

Morgan's initial answer was to have the governor appoint the superintendent, but he modified that view later, acknowledging that voters want to keep electing people to the office. "There could be a different structure."

WHAT IS ONE SPECIFIC THING YOU WOULD DO TO CHANGE HOW THE DEPARTMENT OPERATES?

ATKINSON: "I would not make any drastic changes. People in the department have gone through reorganization for the past two years, and we are at the point where we need to have stability and the continuation of our focus on school and district support, curriculum revision, information technology systems development.

MORGAN: "We hear 'dysfunctional' everywhere. Perhaps there is a little too much finger-pointing and playing the blame game going on in DPI. If I had my way about it, there would be no place for partisan politics and partisan games."

SHOULD TEACHERS WHO SPECIALIZE IN TEACHING MATH OR SCIENCE MAKE MORE MONEY THAN OTHER TEACHERS?

ATKINSON: "On the surface, to say that we would have a market-driven teacher pay sounds great, but then the problem is that our children aren't divided with one part ... that the math teacher takes care of and the other part of the student that the science teacher takes care of. We really want to look at the child as a whole, and all of those teachers in a school have some part in student achievement."

MORGAN: "Of course. You need to pay teachers more in subjects where it's hard to find teachers to teach it."

SHOULD TEACHERS WHO AGREE TO TEACH IN LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS BE PAID MORE?

ATKINSON: "I do support that you pay more teachers at a higher salary schedule if they go to a struggling school or a hard-to-serve school. I think that is equitable and that is a way to get teachers who are willing to take on more difficult assignments."

MORGAN: "I'm inclined to agree with that. Teachers that are willing to go into a troubled area, much like the Teach for America program, I'd want to pay them more."

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