Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

As a mother with three children enrolled in public schools, education is extremely important to me. We need a strong educational system that will allow America to continue in its role as the world's premier leader in scientific research and technological development. American families want better quality education, lower education costs, and more local control over decisions related to education.

In recent years the U.S. Department of Education has expanded the federal role in education to unprecedented levels to the detriment of our children and college students. Utah -- not the federal government -- knows what is best for Utah's students. I trust Utah teachers and Utah parents over Washington bureaucrats.

These are my proposals to address the problems surrounding education:

*Return control of schools to local levels

*Support Utah's teachers by opposing one-size-fits-all federal programs that take flexibility away from innovative teachers

*Eliminate the disparity between Department of Education bureaucrats' salaries and local teachers' salaries

*Bring down the cost of college tuition by allowing schools to compete for students and not allowing a federal government takeover of higher education

*Support the right of parents, local school districts, and the state of Utah to develop curriculum and set testing standards

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