Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

I am related to several educators who have informed my opinions on education. My wife comes from a family of teachers, and has taught at both the college and the middle school level. She taught special education at Hidden Treasure Christian School, and she can attest that smaller classroom sizes and individual planning and instruction makes a world of difference in education. Likewise, my mother has spent years educating the next generation. She has taught nursing for 21 years at UNA and Northwest-Shoals Community College.

I believe that a public education option is foundational to preserving our republican form of government. We all benefit from a strong education curriculum and strong schools.

I fully support the right of parents to homeschool or send their children to private schools when they do not feel their children are getting a good education in the public school system and/or when the school system's moral philosophy is contradictory to a family's values.

I believe in school choice. Parents should be able to move their children from failing schools to a school where their child has a better chance at a good education and success in life. Forcing students to stay in failing schools is a disservice to the community. Children should have the opportunity to get the best education available within their geographic region.

I support the repeal of Common Core education standards, because I believe it promotes some objectionable material and because education has failed to improve under that system. The Department of Education has basically forced states to accept the standards by tying grant money to the standards. I believe curriculum should be customized at the local level to meet the needs of each school district.

We have to stop simply teaching the standardized tests to improve the scores. Teachers are pressured to get results, and we must stop asking kids to conform to a standardized test. Not all students learn the same way, and not all students are good test takers.

After 15 years in the education system, I realized when I graduated college that I had never been taught basic entrepreneurial skills. All education seems to be directed at preparing students to get a job when they graduate high school or college. The problem is, often times they struggle to find a job because the jobs don't exist. We need more classes geared towards starting small businesses. About 2/3rds of the new jobs created come from small business.

We need to focus on technical training programs in developing career fields so graduating students can easily find a job.

We need to expand the AP (Advanced Placement) program, which allows high school students to take college-level classes and earn dual credit.

I will also work to ensure more tax dollars actually reach the classroom instead of administration and bureaucracy.

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