Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

As a father and grandfather in Northwest Florida, I know the importance of preserving the quality of our schools by marshaling educational funding resources and investing fully in the educational futures of our children.

Northwest Florida's students and teachers are among the best and brightest in the state and these good teachers should be well-compensated for their successes. Students should be afforded every opportunity to attain the brightest educational future possible.

All of my children attended public school and my sister, Kay, is an English teacher and the Varsity cheerleading sponsor at Pace High School in Santa Rosa County. I know first-hand the value of extra-curricular activities and the need for consistent funding for athletics and after-school-activities.

I also value student, teacher and school accountability; but at the same time, recognize that accountability through standardized testing must also allow for flexibility sufficient to allow students with special circumstances to thrive and succeed.

I am committed to supporting legislation that will allow for more flexibility in the standardized testing process so that students who have successfully completed high school, but have special circumstances that make passing the FCAT impossible, can demonstrate sufficient competency to graduate. I strongly believe that no system that allows even one child to fall through the cracks is good enough.

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