K-12 Education Reform

By Rafael Garcia-Rangel

Education is the cornerstone to democracy. If we fail to educate our future citizens, then it is us who are failing as citizens. We do not want a third world like caste in America. If parents aren't doing their job, we as citizens must ensure the job gets done. In the end, we all pay the price for failing to educate a fellow citizen. In this global economy, America can not support an uneducated caste of American citizens. California must do its share.

Our educational system needs an overhaul. Because of competing interests this is going to take time but as assembly member I will work with the State Superintendent, the education committee, and other legislators that are serious about education reform. In the meantime we need to support parents' rights to choose Charter Schools that are operated by qualified nonprofit organizations with student success as their first priority.

Small school districts with good working relationships between parents and administrators have no need to go the Charter route. However, parents with children in schools that year after year continue to fail to educate our future citizens must be given the right to choose Charter schools for their children and to convert their local school into a public Charter school if the majority of parents wish to do so.

In this way, the Charter school, with the same budget as that of the public school site, can address the overall needs of the student population in ways that a public school site "can't" because of competing interests from administrators and special interests.

We can discuss parental responsibility at length but in the end we all carry the burden as taxpayers and crime victims of a failing educational system.