Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Our founding fathers recognized that if the republic described in the Constitution was to endure, education of its citizens was going to be critical to that aim. Today's parents are robbed of their right to raise and educate their children as they see fit, tax dollars are wasted, and worst of all, too many children today are learning neither civic virtue nor the skills required to be successful in today's economy. No matter how much money local, state, and the federal governments designate for education, many children in the United States are seemingly unable to improve their test scores on performance exams. Education isn't a problem we can just throw money at. High standards, accountability for results, local control, transparency, and parental choice are essential to achieving that aim.

I support reforms like the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that reduces the federal government's role in K-12 education, prevents Washington bureaucrats from promoting one-size-fits-all programs like Common Core, and empowers states to set their own academic standards.

I support competitive Preschool Development Grants program that will use existing funding to support states' efforts to improve coordination, quality, and access to early childhood education.

I support block grants that allow school districts to use current federal dollars to fund priorities at the local level. I support giving English as a Second Language children additional time to become proficient before their scores are held against their schools and teachers, ensuring they are not unfairly left behind.

I support Charter Schools and Magnet Schools, and other pilot programs to study Title I portability, which allows funds to follow the students to the schools they attend. I support continued annual assessments of students in reading and math, while eliminating the high-stakes strings attached to these assessments. Parents, local school districts, and states -- not Washington bureaucrats -- should choose their own academic standards.

America is facing a dire shortage of skilled manufacturing labor. We need a new generation of welders and machinists and heavy equipment operators. Coupling that with the college student loan bubble exceeding $1.2 trillion dollars, does it make any sense to blindly push every student to get a liberal arts college degree? I will champion a return to alternative education such as vocational pipeline programs in our high schools, allowing every student in the next generation the possibility to immediately jump into a successful career. I will also support efforts to tame the cost of out of control college tuition through competition at the local community college level and online education.

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