Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas's and Superintendent Pia Durkin's joint pep talk Tuesday to 700 teachers was a nice touch for the opening of the school year.

The event surely had political undertones, and that's what we liked about the gathering Tuesday in the Attleboro High School audi torium. Anyone who says politics and educa tion don't mix is overlooking the essential role that city, state and federal budget-mak ing have on our schools or the impact of leg islation like No Child Left Behind, Massa chusetts Education Reform, Title 9, Chapter 766 and hosts of less expensive laws.

Dumas is well-positioned to remind the Attleboro faculty of the long-range effects of their daily efforts in the classroom. He cited the influence of teachers going back to his time in kindergarten. And when he said `` you never know when you'll be instructing the next mayor or the next president,'' he was speaking to a group that included some of his own teachers from just over a decade ago when he was a student at Attleboro High School.

The mayor has been criticized in these pages for giving insufficient attention to the schools in his inaugural address in January. City government in general has been scored by evaluators for insufficient support of the schools. Tuesday's remarks could prove in the long run to be mostly symbolic, but we would like to think they are a sincere step toward bridging the gulf between the `` city side'' and `` school side'' of municipal government.

Durkin's remarks were particular to the Attleboro system, but could have been deliv ered to any school staff in the area. If we avoid the blame game, she advised, `` we can galvanize the power, brilliance and commit ment in this auditorium today to redirect our efforts and begin a journey toward excellence.'' Tuesday's show of unity was appropriate for the start for this journey. If citizens give the necessary encouragement, a partner ship between City Hall and the school administration will have a better chance of weathering the political storms that inevitably arise when it comes time to allo cate the city's resources.