BROCKTON, Mass. -- Education is one of the hot button issues in the race for Massachusetts governor. And on Wednesday, Democrat Chris Gabrieli was pushing his plan for school improvement.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that Gabrieli rolled out his education ideas on Wednesday. Gabrieli has spent a decade funding and being passionate about education.

"I'm not a pessimist. I have an opponent who is talking right now in an ad about how schools have fallen backwards. That is not true. Massachusetts's schools have made real progress. I think it is a mistake to start with the negativism about teachers and schools and principals and this and that, students. We have come a long way. We have a long way to go," he said.

In West Bridgewater, Gabrieli told educators and parents that schools need to push the envelope.

"If you've got a really good idea that passes reasonable muster with a review with a different Department of Education than we have today -- one that has more capability to do this. Then we should fund it and we should say we are going to support that. We'll support it for several years. But you have to measure whether it is working," Gabrieli said.

Among Gabrieli's proposals are:

Senior year fast track that allows students to get college credit while finishing high school.

Recruit and retain teachers by mentoring new teachers.

Review the formula for state funding to local systems.

Refine and improve the MCAS.

"I'm a supporter of high standards, and I think those are important. With my proposal today, it was interesting to hear from a teacher who agreed. I think we could streamline some of the testing, particularly for the younger kids," Gabrieli said.

Garbrieli has made education a focal point of his campaign spending. But he was quick to adjust the agenda when facing a roomful of business leaders with other concerns.

"I think it is jobs and economic growth. Because I think that is the precedent to everything else. First of all as individuals, people go where jobs are. If we don’t have the good jobs here, they will go elsewhere," said Gabrieli. "Job creation is crucial for our state. It is crucial for the individuals. When you think about the 1990s, we can do a lot as a state. We had strong economic growth. We made 42 tax cuts, but we put billions more in education."

Education is Gabrieli's strong suit, but he will also focus on innovation and accountability.