Prior to 1979 when Jimmy Carter created the Department of Education, virtually all education was handled at the local level. The very nature of educating children suggests it be handled there. How can a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington determine the needs of an inner city kid in Los Angeles, or a rural child living on a ranch in Wyoming? They have almost nothing in common.
Yet, the powers that be in Washington, as usual, have determined the know better. I remember when I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s our schools were ranked at or near the top in the world. Since then, the rankings have slowly and consistently gone down. In fact, I have seen some studies which indicate we are no longer in the top ten.
Why is that? You can argue this ad infinitum. However, the prime reason appears clear: the federal Department of Education. It is a typical Washington bureaucracy destroying something we were good at for years and years and years. I can make this position paper exclusively about ending the Department of Education but, I do not believe that will ever happen with the current membership of Congress. If I had that option, however, it would be significantly better than our current educational system; in fact, it would be a vast improvement.
When we were ranked in the top tier of countries on education, federal money still flowed to the schools. I’m not saying this funding should be ended. What I am saying is that localities can better determine how to spend the money than the broken down Washington system. We should do everything in our power to let that happen again.
In poll after poll, the citizens of CA43 have made it clear: they overwhelmingly support school choice. They want the ability to send their children to a private school, a public school or to be home schooled. I agree. I firmly believe some sort of voucher system should be in place so that federal dollars can go to the type of education parents want for their children.
Maxine Waters is against school choice. Of course, someone who receives a large portion of her campaign contributions from teachers’ unions would have to take that position. The California Teachers Association would never want or approve school choice. The last thing they want is children going to private schools or worse yet, non-union private or magnet schools. And, she is in their pocket, plain and simple.
I am also against Common Core. It has proven a disaster and further brought down education standards in the country. For an interesting article please read: Top Ten Things Parents Hate About Common Core
So, in summation, I believe education should be handled locally and taken out of the hands of the Federal Government. Additionally, and most importantly, parents should have the choice of deciding where their children are educated.