Education on the ballot
No candidate in the lead on improving nation's schools
By Robert Behre
No candidate in the lead on improving nation's schools
The Post and Courier
Principal Mary Reynolds watches an orderly line of students switch classes at Goodwin Elementary School in North Charleston.
Candidates' views
The education issue has been one of the quieter issues in the campaign so far, particularly on the Republican side.
Most Democrats pledge to strengthen the existing system by extending pre-kindergarten education and by making college more affordable. And they also are more skeptical about the value of the No Child Left Behind Act, one of the major legislative legacies of President Bush's administration.
Most Republicans talk less about No Child Left Behind and more about what they would do to provide more choices and competition on the education front, both within and outside the public school system.
Editor's Note: As the 2008 presidential primaries draw near, The Post and Courier is looking at some of the biggest issues as seen through the eyes of Lowcountry residents. This installment looks at education.
Principal Mary Reynolds would like to see a lot of things at W.B. Goodwin Elementary that the school simply can't afford right now.
The school doesn't offer any instruction in foreign language, except to teach Hispanic children English. It has no receptionist, so some teachers spend part of their lunch hour answering the phone. It doesn't have a staff person to help counsel parents. And none of its 36 classrooms has a Smartboard, a touch-sensitive computerized white board.
Reynolds justifies these sacrifices to channel the school's limited dollars toward keeping class sizes as small as possible.
The average size is about 15 students — almost half the state average. Reynolds said that's about the maximum for students who come from families at or below the poverty line.
"The higher the poverty level, the smaller the class size needs to be," said Reynolds, the state's 2007 Elementary School Principal of the Year. "You need that to close the gap. It can be done."
Reynolds said she hopes the next president can accomplish many things, including targeting illiteracy, extending public education to 3- and 4-year-olds, creating more after-school programs and emphasizing more technology in the schools.
She said she feels the federal No Child Left Behind Act has put the focus on accountability in education, and that's a good thing.
"We should all be accountable," she said, but under the act, different states set different standards. "If we picked up our students and moved to Texas, we'd be proficient across the board in every subject," she said.
Reynolds said if a president wants to follow through on the promise of using education to create a more equal, prosperous society, it will take money upfront for schools with poorer students.
"We have to recognize that equality is not the same for everyone," she said. "If we can get things done at the elementary level, we'll have less need at the high school level."
A parent's perspective
Burke High School had a big need several years ago as it struggled and faced a state takeover.
Patricia Clark, whose son attended the school, was trying to help as a member of its School Improvement Council.
"I think it was a rude awakening for a lot of parents (who thought) 'They're not going to close down Burke because it's a brand-new school,' " she said. "As a parent, I became involved because you hear things, but unless you get involved, you don't know what's going on."
While Burke had a new building, it didn't have much parental involvement, and it did have teacher turnover, miscommunication and behavioral trouble. The state's action, part of the accountability triggered by No Child Left Behind, helped change that.
"I guess in hindsight, I would look at it as being a positive thing," Clark said. "The school had been trying to do everything to get parents involved, but only a handful of parents showed up. It was ridiculous. It's on the upswing now."
Clark said she is concerned about the lingering inequality in schools, and as someone who grew up in integrated schools, she said she would like to see more schools reflecting the population.
"I don't know how to do it (achieve integration), but we need to move in that direction," she said.
Clark said she hasn't made up her mind which candidate she will support, and when asked what they could do to help students, she mentioned guaranteeing health care before any steps to reform schools.
"We all need to be concerned about children in general. It doesn't have to be our child. It doesn't stop because my child graduated. I'll do what I can do to help the situation," Clark said. "They're all our children."
National standards?
The way Frances Welch sees things, if it makes sense for a nation to have national health care standards, shouldn't it have national education standards, too?
As dean of the College of Charleston's School of Education, Health and Human Performance, she said the lack of national standards is part of the problem with South Carolina's schools, especially those found in the poorer, rural Interstate 95 corridor known as the "Corridor of Shame."
"I think we should have national standards about (school) buildings. That's part of the problem in the Corridor of Shame, not to mention the curriculum and the quality of the teachers," she said.
Welch said the No Child Left Behind Act, which was designed to hold teachers, schools and school districts accountable, is a good idea.
"Who's going to argue with the basic premise of the law? It's the right thing to do," she said. "The devil is in the details."
Again, because the act allows states to set their own standards, rather than meeting a national one, its impact has been a mixed bag. If the president helped create a national standard, then No Child Left Behind would make some sense, she said.
Welch, who also hasn't decided for whom she will vote, said she believes in choice but doesn't believe vouchers, giving public dollars to help children defray the cost of private schools, are the answer, partly because it would involve creating a new bureaucracy to monitor that spending and partly because of questions about how private schools should be held accountable.
Also, some private school tuitions would be well out of reach. "If I'm living in poverty and I get $3,000, where am I going to get the other $12,000?" she asked.
Rules at the door
Dr. Fayrine Brown taught in public schools for two decades before she decided her true calling was to create a new private school, Capers Preparatory Christian Academy on Johns Island.
The tuition is about $3,000 a year.
Brown's school has grown from 14 students when it opened its doors five years ago to more than three times that many today. She said she could have many more, but many parents still find its tuition — anywhere from $315 to $400 a month, depending on the grade — out of reach.
"That's why we pushed for legislation on choice," she said. "If that were to happen, it would be fair for all children."
Brown said not all Johns Island students fit in the public school system. She said some benefit more by her approach, which strictly enforces the rules posted by the door: "1. No student will be out of their seat without permission. 2. No student will speak without permission. 3. Students will always address and reply to teachers with respect."
She said she created Capers to improve the island's graduation rate and noted that all six graduates from her first class are now in college.
Brown, who also teaches high school English, said she still is making up her mind for whom to vote, but she hopes the next president will focus on whatever it takes to reduce dropouts and guide more kids toward college.
"At the end of the day, that's our focus here," she said.
'Beware of the wolf'
Tommy McPherson works for Santee Cooper and began volunteering in Berkeley County's public schools not long after he graduated from Berkeley High.
He is wary of any plan to steer public dollars from public schools to private ones. His brown van carries a bumper sticker that reads, "Beware of the Wolf No Vouchers."
But he said he likes choice within the public school system, and his family gladly drives 17 miles from his Pinopolis home to take one of his children to Howe Hall Art Infused Magnet School in Goose Creek.
"I think what we have done in this country from an educational perspective is we've tried to shoehorn every child into the same box. There's no shame in a child not going to college. There's shame in a child who has completed their education and can't become a contributing member of society."
He said that although parental involvement is crucial, he would like to see the next president inspire the nation to create a better, fairer educational system.
McPherson said he would like to see a presidential candidate push for the same type of commitment to education now that the nation made to landing on the moon in the 1960s, but he is not optimistic.
"I haven't seen any candidate the country could rally behind with overwhelming support," he said.
EDITORS NOTE: Presidential candidates have widely different thoughts on the federal government's role in education - and how they would try to alter that role.
Here is a quick look at their positions, with links to their campaign Web sites.
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani's Web site notes, "As Mayor, Rudy Giuliani worked to reform the nation's largest public school system, with over 1 million school children.
He increased school funding and hired new teachers, while insisting on reforms that ended social promotion, abolished principal tenure, and created a Charter School Fund. Rudy is also a strong supporter of school choice, believing that it is one of the great civil rights issues of our time."
Mike Huckabee
Huckabee's Web site says, "I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs."
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=7
Duncan Hunter
Hunter's Web site notes, "I support taking the actions necessary to strengthen our public educational system and school vouchers are a great opportunity to provide students and their families with additional educational choices. According to national studies, a significant percentage of high school students have difficulty reading at a proficient level, test well below the international average in math and science, and lack basic knowledge in history. Clearly, parents have a reason to be concerned. Many Americans support innovative plans that address our current education shortcomings and I believe school vouchers are an effective way of achieving this goal."
http://www.gohunter08.com/inner.asp?z=4
John McCain
McCain's Web site is largely silent on the education issue, but in a recent interview with The Post and Courier, he called it one of the more overlooked issues in the campaign. "One of the fundamentals is choice and competition in education, particularly K through 12. I'll do everything I can to see that young Americans receive an affordable education. And I would build on and fix problems with No Child Left Behind," he said, adding that he also supports vouchers, charter schools, teacher performance pay and "anything that's competition. Charter schools in my home state of Arizona are doing quite well."
Ron Paul
Paul's Web site says he supports home schooling and notes, "Returning control of education to parents is the centerpiece of my education agenda.
As President I will advance tax credits through the Family Education Freedom Act, which reduces taxes to make it easier for parents to home school by allowing them to devote more of their own funds to their children's education.
I am committed to guaranteeing parity for home school diplomas and advancing equal scholarship consideration for students entering college from a home school environment."
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/home-schooling/
Mitt Romney
Romney's Web site notes, "Today's schools are falling further and further behind world standards. It is time to raise the bar on education by making teaching a true profession, measuring progress, providing a focus on math and science, and involving parents from the beginning of a child's school career. "
http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Education
Tom Tancredo
Tancredo's Web site notes that he "spent a decade as the Department of Education's regional representative in Denver so I do not say this lightly.
Federal involvement should be limited. Educational control is best left in the hands of parents. A no-strings-attached voucher system would promote school choice, while competition for students would drive educational improvements at the institutional level. I also suggest schools return to a more traditional course of study and that the public focus shift to certain non-school factors, like parental involvement, which studies show are the most important determinants of student performance"
http://teamtancredo.org/stands/
Fred Thompson
Thompson's Web site notes, "A well-educated citizenry is vital to our security, our economy, and our democracy. Despite the tens of billions of dollars spent on education by Washington each year, and the hundreds of federal education programs now in place, our children are still falling behind, particularly in subjects crucial to the global economy in which we live. At a time when America is behind other developed countries in education excellence, the federal role in education is too intrusive and too bureaucratic, and has become part of the problem. State and local governments are closest to the parents, the kids, and the schools, and best situated to implement changes and innovations that best educate children."
http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx?View=OnTheIssues
Democrats
Joe Biden
Biden's Web site quotes him as follows: "My mother has an expression, children tend to become that which you expect of them. I want a country where we expect much from America's children. Every child must graduate from high school. Every child should go on to higher education. Today, just two-thirds of students entering high school graduate, and about two-thirds of those go on to college. We are losing too many children in this country, wasting too much talent, leaving so much potential untapped. We know what we need to do: First, stop focusing just on test scores. Second, start education earlier. Third, pay educators more. Fourth, reduce class size. Fifth, make higher education affordable."
http://www.joebiden.com/issues?id=0023
Hillary Clinton
Clinton's Web site says the fourth of the top 10 reasons to support her for president is that she would work "to provide world-class education, from universal pre-kindergarten to affordable college for all."
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/family/
Chris Dodd
Dodd's Web site notes, "Chris Dodd understands that while children are 25 percent of our population, they are 100 percent of our future. But if America is going to face the challenges of the 21st century with boldness and optimism, we will need the best-educated generation in the history of our country. Coming from a family of educators, Chris Dodd has dedicated his career to educating our children, starting the first Children's Caucus in the Senate, focusing on early childhood development and Head Start, and working to improve college affordability. With proven, experienced leadership in the White House, Chris Dodd believes every child regardless of economic circumstances can receive a high-quality education from pre-k to college."
http://chrisdodd.com/issues/education
John Edwards
Edwards' Web site notes, "Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Ed., America still has two school systems, separate and unequal. To give every child an opportunity to get ahead, Edwards will invest in our teachers, educate our children for the challenges of the 21st century, and make college more affordable through College for Everyone."
http://johnedwards.com/issues/education/
Mike Gravel
Gravel's Web site notes: "Senator Gravel supports re-ordering national budget priorities in order to improve the American education system. He supports government funding of education from pre-kindergarten to higher education."
http://www.gravel2008.us/issues.php
Dennis Kucinich
Kucinich's Web site doesn't go into depth on education but does discuss the issue as part of his broader plan for strengthening the middle class. The Web site notes he would "provide universal education to all Americans from pre-school through college."
http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/survival-of-the-middle-class/
Barack Obama
Obama's Web site notes, "Throughout America's history, education has been the vehicle for social and economic mobility, giving hope and opportunity to millions of young people. Our schools must prepare students not only to meet the demands of the global economy, but also help students take their place as committed and engaged citizens. It must ensure that all students have a quality education regardless of race, class, or background. Barack Obama is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource - the American people."
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/
Bill Richardson
Richardson's Web site notes, "Giving our children a good start in their education has been a key priority of mine as Governor, and it will continue to be a priority for me as President. If we are to maintain our position as the world's leader in business, technology and innovation, we must strengthen the American education system that has made us the most powerful country in human history."
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/educationplan
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
"We have to recognize that equality is not the same for everyone,"
It takes an educator to come up with a stupid statement like that. She's teaching elementary school kids who need to learn to read and write and understand elementary math, yet she needs high tech tools to do it? I went through my education up to a college degree and didn't sit in a single classroom that had anything higher tech than a blackboard and projector, but she needs a touch-sensitive computerized white board to teach the alphabet to first graders. They need a counselor for parents? The real deal is that she just sees the answer being spend more money and involve more government...which is the answer every politician is willing to come up with...it's part of the zero intelligence policy rampant in our politicians and educators.
November 4, 2007 at 7:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sjmehlhose (anonymous) says...
The federal government controling local schools would be an absolute disaster. Government has traditionally managed to foul up almost everything it touches. We should abolish government run schools, and give those tax dollars to parents as vouchers to pay for private schools (including religious schools, don't discriminate against parents who are religious, it's their money ultimately) for everyone. Why can private schools provide an education superior to any public school in most cases for less money? The only reason these government teachers oppose vouchers is because of their own selfish, self interest. Vouchers for private school work well in other places of the country.
November 4, 2007 at 8:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sjmehlhose (anonymous) says...
christy,
You are mis-quoting the bible. The quote is:
"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24
The point that was being made was in regard to humbling yourself before you came to God for salvation. From what I understand historically, the eye of the needle was a small gate which, for a camel to pass through it, he would have to kneel (a symbol of being humble). This is why it is difficult (not impossible) for a rich man to repent and come to Jesus to be saved from the penalty of sin (which would be Hell).
I personally know several rich, godly men. True, they are few and far between, but they are there. Men who gladly give much of their substance to God's work, missionaries and other good works.
By the way, I would rather see someone who has proven himself successful in his own private life elected to office, than someone who is poor and a failure. Success also doesn't always mean monitarily, it could be sucess in their chosen profession.
Voting against someone just because they have money is just as foolish as someone who votes against someone because of his skin color. Look at their character and actions before making that decision.
November 4, 2007 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mlm (anonymous) says...
I find it ironic that the author of this article, Robert Behre, can write about the inequities and sub-par conditions in Charleston County's public schools while his family continues to benefit from having been given access to places at Buist Academy. He knows all about the conditions that have deprived Chas. Progressive of receiving equal treatment with Buist. Chas. Progressive Academy is a 100% minority magnet school in his neighborhood equal distance from his home as is Buist. Mr. Behre has remained silent on both the privilege that he enjoys and the inequities that he is in a position to help change. The Post & Courier picks and chooses its local public school coverage the way a vulture picks over the carcass of random road kill.
The local press and respected writers like Robert Behre need to realize that unless they take a responsible lead in reporting and calling for reform in our public schools, they are as much responsible for the continuing corruption and deprivation in most of our schools as those at the center of this scandal. He reports correctly that these schools are responsible for shaping "25% of our present and 100% of our future." Robert Behre, your silence is deafening when it comes to the issue of lack of public access at Buist Academy & the failures found throughout other District 20 schools. Just because your children are already in a lifeboat doesn't mean you should silently ignore the children of your neighbors who are drowning.
November 4, 2007 at 9:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
Please do not give up on public education. Our country would never have come this far without it. Abolishing public education and privatizing it would make schools like cars. He with the most money gets the best education. What did the less fortunate children do wrong? If a less fortunate person drives a 20 year old, oil burning Ford Taurus, what kind of school is his child going to attend? You can't apply capitalism and free competition to everthing. It is appropriate to apply free competition to the manufacture of cars and furniture. It is not appropriate to apply it to military protection or educating our children.
As always, the most successful schools are in the more affluent areas. What's new? The children in less fortunate areas don't go home and hammer out algebra with their parents. They go home to an empty home where the parents are both at work, or they go home to a crack addict. Of course these schools have lower scores. Imagine the private school that this child would end up in -- the 25 year old, oil burning Ford Taurus of schools. He would be surrounded by only children with the same socio-economic home life. He would have no chance of learning anything other than drugs and gang survival techniques. Some of these children are diamonds in the rough. In the past our public education system has found these gems and cultivated them. That is how we got where we are. If you privatize education, you will only find the diamonds that come from more fortunate homes.
Capitalism is good to an extent, but please don't apply it to our schools, unless you want to ruin the future of our country. We need those diamonds in the rough.
November 4, 2007 at 11:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sjmehlhose (anonymous) says...
Lets look at the facts. Public education didn't exist when this country was founded. In fact, most of the founding fathers were home schooled. Public schools have made some contributions, but it would be a stretch to say that this country has come as far as it has because of public education. In fact, I would say that this country is great in spite of public education. Ultimately what makes this nation successful are individuals who decide to strive for excellence in spite of mediocrity in public education.
November 4, 2007 at 1:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
How many disadvantaged children will "decide to strive for excellence" in a privately owned school controlled by profits? Children from upper class homes will get an upper class education. Children from middle class will get a middle class education. Children from lower class will get a lower class education.
Cheaper schools will be lucky to control drug trafficking, let alone give a child an eductation. The kids will lose. The owners of the schools will win.
Think of all the dishonesty, false advertising, hidden short-cuts... Have you ever been dissapointed by a product? When a Hyundai rolls off the lot, it looks just as good as a Toyota, but is it just as good? A for-profit school will act just like a car dealer. The owners will do and say anything to make another buck. Yes, there will be schools that run like a Lexus, but who will be able to afford them? The same people that can buy the Lexus automobile.
November 4, 2007 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
By the way, when this country was founded, the work was done by indentured servants and slaves. Should today's disadvantaged children start out as indentured servants, or should we offer them an education and let them and their parents decide what to do with it?
November 4, 2007 at 1:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sjmehlhose (anonymous) says...
Vouchers are working in other places. It has nothing to do with public or private. Bottom line, the parents are ultimately responsible for their childrens success, not money and vouchers allow parents to decide where their children would do the best. My family doesn't have alot of money (we barely make it from month to month). What will make our children successful is that we CARE about them, and our behavior is a reflection of this. I don't drink alcohol, do drugs, or any of the other things that tend to destroy homes, and I would NEVER tolerate these things with my kids. We EXPECT our children to go to college, and if necessary, I will work 2 jobs to make this happen (my kids know that they will also have to work part time while in school to make this happen).
November 4, 2007 at 1:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
I commend anyone who does not drink or do drugs. I do not drink or do drugs either. I have two kids working their way through college. It is hard. I believe there are places where it is not as difficult, but it will always be difficult in SC. Our colleges are as expensive as elsewhere, but our wages are lower. Be prepared for great difficulties when your children graduate high school. One year on campus is at least $17,000. If he works 20 hours a week at minimum wage, he will make $7,500 at the most. He can only borrow about $2,400. You will have to come up with the rest, or borrow it in your name.
As a side note: It is interesting what some people consider a lot of money. I know someone who claims to be living month to month. He and his wife drive nice vehicles and recently bought a home for over 300,000 dollars. The average income in SC is $33,400. If you are beating that, then you are certainly not disadvantaged. (relative to others in SC)
November 4, 2007 at 2:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
The people who insist that without public schools there can be no education are idiots. Public education is actually a new trend, and education has become increasingly expensive and less educating the more the government becomes involved. We have the least educated most expensively educated people in the world now, just like we have the wealthiest poor people in the world.
And I'd like to point out an "inconvenient truth" to misfit...I worked way more than 20 hours a week when I was in college...I got my degree and graduated with honors. I was able to get pell grants and loans, and after I graduated I paid the loans off. My taxes after school more than paid off the grants, but if it weren't for government grants and loans I could have afforded to work my own way through school. Government raises the cost of education and dumbs the curriculum down. I taught at a private college once, and within a month of becoming accredited and eligible for student loans and pell grants the tuition went up 30%. That's the result of your socialist government involvement in education. It costs more, and they let anyone in just to get the government guarenteed money.
November 4, 2007 at 5:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
The major is so smart. Maybe the major can tell us whether education is better in Europe or Japan than it is in the US. Then my question is, are their schools public or private?
I am surprised the major is so upset. There are plenty of people in SC that agree with him. In fact, I would say the majority of them do. If the people in this state know so much about education, then why are our test scores always near the bottom?
I too worked my way through college and took out student loans, but now there are limits to how much the student can borrow. I was pointing out that those limits are way below what the student needs to live on campus at USC, Clemson, CofC or the Citadel, even if he works part time. Apparently the major can do full time school and full time employment at the same time. Could the major have had a break somewhere? Either he could study at work, or he really did not work that many hours, or his curriculum was not that demanding, or it really was hard. In fact, all I was pointing out was that it is hard - harder than in some other states.
November 4, 2007 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
I am not a socialist. Maybe public schools do cost more than private ones. Of course, that would mean that our public military costs more than a private one would. Should we take that private too? No. That would be silly, though we have dabbled unsuccessfully in privatizing some parts of it. There are just a few industries that need to be public.
As I said before, capitalism works well in some industries, but military and elementary education are two areas where we need to all pitch in and provide a service to the country. We provide military protection for everyone in the country, and I think we should provide elementary education for everyone in the country.
November 4, 2007 at 7:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Julianna (anonymous) says...
Public schools have too many students and too much overhead. IMHO no high school or middle school should have over 500 students. If the principal, vice principal, counselors and teachers have less students in the school the more they will know what is going on. Class size is a big deal, no more than 20 per class.
The large high schools are all about "football". So I guess that is a pipedream.
The question was asked, "Why can private schools provide an education superior to any public school in most cases for less money?"
The answer is: "overhead". And the big answer is "discipline".....private and religious schools are not going to put up with any child's crap. It's that simple. You will sit your butt in the seat, you will do your homework, you will walk in the hall, you will behave on the bus.
When I visited my sister last year, we were driving down I-26 towards Charleston, we passed the Aviation Exit. A school bus pulled up beside us and I heard a large thump on the door. I looked up and saw the kids were throwing food out of the bus at the passing cars. I called 911 on my cell phone, gave them the license tag on the bus, the bus number and the exit they got off on, because we followed them. My sister pulled up beside the bus at stop sign, I motioned to the bus driver, she opened the window and I showed her the jello and pudding on the side of the car. She didn't say a word. I told her I called the police. The kids were laughing and carrying on, like it was no big deal. If that was a private or religious school bus, that would not have been happening.
November 4, 2007 at 10:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
Julianna:
What private school bus? My kids were in a religious school for 4 years - no school bus. No gym. No special ed teachers. No real library. No free books. No hot school lunches. (sandwiches and chips-for a price) THis school did not even offer afterschool care. You pay through the nose, and then you get nickel and dimed to death.
November 5, 2007 at 7:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
MajorJohnson:
You mentioned that when your private college was approved to award grants and loans, tuition went up 30%. This is exactly what will happen to private elementary schools when we start using vouchers, the price will go up by the amount of the vouchers. It is called greed. Your college was private and the people running it were greedy. Why would a private elementary school act any different?
November 5, 2007 at 7:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scchickens (anonymous) says...
If you run for an elected public office, your children should be required by law to attend public schools. This one law would fix our "free and descent" public education system. We, as the people, have got to push this down the throats of our representatives. It can happen with enough support and the right person to take the ball and run with it. Govt. owes all children a "free and descent" education.
November 5, 2007 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
misfit (anonymous) says...
I think you may be onto something scchickens. Unfortunately, our government's priority right now seems to be fixing the beach erosion at Wild Dunes. Can you believe it? I guess those nice people were taken completely off guard that SC beaches erode, and they built these nice homes there, which will fall into the ocean without your help. I guess the government fixing rich people's playgrounds is not considered socialism, but supporting public schools is?
November 6, 2007 at 12:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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