Issue Position: Improving Education and Teacher Salaries

Issue Position

I have fourteen grandchildren living in North Carolina, and education is a very important issue for our family. Competition in education and school choice will improve our educational system and the learning environment for every child. Finding and keeping the best teachers is of paramount importance. Teacher pay can be addressed by reducing school overhead costs, and reallocate the savings to teacher salaries. We must have the best educational system, and we must produce the best educated individual for the 21st century. The poorest Eastern European countries spend half as much on education, yet their students are much smarter, and better educated than the students here in the United States. There is something wrong with our educational system, when more and more money cannot fix our schools, or produce a better educated individual. In addition, we fail to graduate over 20% of our students from high school. Some parents home school their children and most home schooled kids out perform the public schooled children. Children who are home schooled, or attend private schools; for them, money is not a contributing factor that creates under performance. I understand the systemic problems in our educational system. But most people do not want to face up to the real issues, because it goes against their social, religious or ideological belief system. I also support a strong community college and university system for the citizens of North Carolina with an affordable tuition structure.

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