Issue Position: Putting Children First

Issue Position

Education is ultimately about children--not bricks, budgets or Washington bureaucrats. Ensuring allchildren have access to quality education is not only a civil right--but also the foundation of buildinga better, stronger Alabama. While Alabama has made significant strides in student achievement,there is still much work to be done. As a proven educator and former Alabama Superintendent of theYear, Dr. Larry DiChiara's agenda can raise the graduation rate, elevate student achievement,provide greater access to choice and prepare the next generation of workers, entrepreneurs andcitizens to achieve the American Dream.

Stopping Common Core and Restoring Local Control
Education policy works best when it is enacted by people closest to the child-- teachers, parentsand locally elected school boards, not by bureaucrats in Washington. The federal government hasno constitutional role in education. Right now, our schools are held hostage by a bloated federalgovernment that takes our hard-earned taxpayer money and threatens not to return it unless wespend it exactly as they see fit. As Congressman, Larry will work to dismantle and defund theDepartment of Education, stop Common Core, restore local control to education and reinstate publicconfidence in our public schools.

Returning Money to the Classroom
In an increasingly global economy, students cannot enjoy a first--class economic future without a first-class education in their immediate present. Every student in America, including North Alabama, can have an opportunity to experience a first-class education if we change our priorities. As our Congressman, Larry will work toward making sure that money allocated to education actually makes its way into the classroom--being spent on teachers, instruction supplies, instructional aides and technology. By reducing federal regulations and empowering local school boards, Larry will lead the charge on decreasing bureaucratic overhead and putting more money directly into the classroom where it belongs.

Ending a "One-Size-Fits-All" Education System
Let's face it--"one-size-fits-all" doesn't even work in shoes!

Larry believes that parental choice is key if we wish to create a healthy education system. Allowing parental choice and supporting our public schools are not mutually exclusive-- those who claim otherwise either don't understand the facts or are intentionally misleading. Parents must have a right to choose the best educational environment for their children.

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