Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

The quality of our children's education directly effects how we as a state and country will prosper at home and compete globally. Michigan cannot create a smart and successful workforce without a well educated youth, and it is important to our economic growth ability to create jobs. I believe that successfully educating Michigan's future workforce depends on how much control we have in our state and community. While they may think so, bureaucrats in Washington do not know more than Michigan's parents about the needs of our children.

Return Control to State and Local Educators

I have supported legislation in the past that would give the states, parents and teachers the ability to determine the educational needs of our children. I will continue to support legislative efforts to allow each state to spend federal education dollars how they see fit, rather than how Washington decrees.

School Choice

Michigan parents should have the opportunity to choose the type of education their children receive. I believe that if federal scholarships are made available to some students in failing schools, they should be allowed to attend the educational institution of their choice, free from government interference.

No Child Left Behind

The Department of Education, through the No Child Left Behind program, has succeeded in taking more power away from state and local educators and redistributed the decision making to Washington bureaucrats. Congress needs to re-examine the regulations established by this program and turn decision making back to local parents and teachers.

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