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for 2006 Pennsylvania Primary Election Legislative Candidates
1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of Pennsylvania's system of funding public education? What should the Pennsylvania Legislature do, if anything, to improve the system of funding public education? (75 words or less) The Legislators and the population in general in Pennsylvania are strong supporters of Public Education. This is a strength. There may be disagreements on the WAY to obtain the goal of quality public education, however, in the State there is a strong consensus concerning the VALUE of Public Education. A weakness is that there are too many school districts and duplication of services. Unfunded State mandates are a major problem. 2. How should the Pennsylvania Legislature assist school districts to meet the requirements of Pennsylvania's regulations for academic standards and graduation requirements as well as the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that expects every student to demonstrate proficiencies on state assessments in reading, math and science by 2014, and for all schools to demonstrate "adequate yearly progress" (required by NCLB) toward that goal? (75 words or less) We should know exactly how much it is going to cost us to meet the State standards. After the costs have been established, the legislature is obligated to provide the funds to enable the school districts to accomplish this goal. The Legislators should meet frequently with school board members, administrators, and teachers to develop realistic standards and to monitor programs and work together to eliminate un-funded or out-dated mandates. 3. How should the Pennsylvania Legislature assist school districts to close the academic achievement gaps that exist among groups of students in schools and school districts across the Commonwealth? (75 words or less) This is largely a social problem. Sub-cultures place various degrees of importance on a quality education. The first step is to identify the factors that have to be addressed, then fund and develop programs that make education more effective in societies that do not place a high value on education. Consolidation of school districts would also help accomplish this goal because of the interaction between students of diverse social cultures. 4. What, if anything, should the Pennsylvania Legislature do to increase access for young children in Pennsylvania to high-quality pre-K programs and full-day kindergarten programs? (75 words or less) The Legislature could fund vouchers for low-income parents to use to encourage them to send their children. Tax breaks should be given to the operators of certified high-quality programs. The state would have over-sight responsibilities the go along with the funding. 5. What is your vision of the public education opportunity that should be available to every child in Pennsylvania and what will you do to accomplish that goal? (75 words or less) Every Pennsylvania High School graduate should be prepared to enter the workforce and have the basic skills to be a productive citizen. If they desire to further their education, they should have competency in the academic disciplines to allow them to be successful in the higher levels of education. I would sponsor legislation to this effect and I will have a continuous dialogue with members of the educational community so that I could make intelligent decisions on how to most effectively use our scarce resources. In summary, Pennsylvania education should prepare a student to maximize their potential. 6. Is there anything else that you will do to strengthen Pennsylvania's public education system? (75 words or less) I would involve the business community in a dialogue with the educational community so that the business community would have input into setting the goals of the local school district. How to achieve those goals would be left up to the professional educators. Effective ways of controlling expenses and holding the educational community accountable would be developed by a cooperative effort of the Legislature, business, and educational communities. I would take a leadership roll in this project.
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