Probably a waste of time but....
Neither you nor I have any idea if Mr. Crum was "involved in some of those bad decisions."  For all you know he may have fought hard against them.  As for "passing students along," nearly all parents demand it for fear of stigmatizing the child.  That is why I have advocated the elimination of grade levels in favor of "mastery of the subject matter."  If you can complete the high school curriculum in a year, great.  If it takes you five, then so be it.  

I viewed his post as a call for discussion and dialog which might then lead to bipartisan action.  The RG comment section is not the place to lay out a comprehensive plan.

We need fresh ideas and a rededication to the task.  As I stated in another comment several days ago, many of the solutions might turn out to be free.  But as long as we are regularly confronted with people who are short of ideas but long on blame and criticism, I doubt much progress will be made.