Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

- Accountability and personal investment is required for quality instruction
- Begin the discussion of a more equitable school funding model
- Eliminate PAWS Testing and establish a more flexible and meaningful testing regime

As a former Pinedale High School history teacher, I know the importance of accountability in the educational system. I have experienced the highs and lows of instruction and truly believe that a good teacher can change a person's life. And although a teacher is an integral part of the educational process, we must impress upon the parent and student their shared responsibility. I know firsthand the frustrations of the classroom teacher and I believe that a quality education must include investment from the parents, the student and the entire educational system.

Wyoming has been a leader in school funding in the last few years, and this investment will undoubtedly pay off. The Hathaway Scholarship serves as a shining example of a progressive approach to higher education, and we will need a similar approach to school funding. In this increasingly competitive world, we will need all of Wyoming's students to reach their full potential and this cannot be achieved without funding equity. To those ends, we must ensure that the bulk of Wyoming's investment in its educational system flow to its students and classroom teachers.

Wyoming's educational dollars must be well spent and it is critical to evaluate our testing regime. We will have to support those tests that return meaningful results and remove those that are not effective. The P.A.W.S. testing format has proven to be an inefficient and an ineffective model and we will have to find a better alternative.

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