Vision
Educating our children is a hugely important responsibility. We must prioritize our resources to ensure their future, and our own.
Vermonters appreciate the importance of a world-class education. We know the number of kids in Vermont is declining. That’s not the fault of public schools. It reflects larger demographic trends the state is facing. With or without increasing numbers of kids, though, we owe it to them and the state’s future to invest in maintaining and enhancing Vermont’s well-deserved reputation for educational excellence.
We should not sacrifice Vermont’s leadership in the field of education, and the future of our children, to short-term economic thinking. Education policy requires a long-term perspective, and an understanding that sustained investment is required for long-term gain. What better investment can we make than the future of our children?
Record
During Peter’s years in leadership roles, he has fought for education policies that put children first.
Peter helped write an education funding formula that is the most progressive in the country. It allows every student in Vermont to have access to the same educational opportunities regardless of what community they happen to have been born in.
The Future of Education in Vermont
As Governor, Peter would defend the school funding law that allows for children from Hardwick to have the same access to quality education as children from Stowe. He would also work to improve it where necessary. He would work in partnership with Vermont’s children, our families, our teachers, our administrators and our school boards to ensure that we build the best educational system in the country.
As Governor, Peter would steer us away from the obsession with testing, and the flawed temptation to rate educators simply on the basis of how students score them. He would focus on public education as the primary (not the only) component of sustainable economic development. Every reputable study examining the multiple sources of economic growth places a quality public education system at the top of the list.
As Governor, Peter would look for ways to reduce costs in our education system by expanding distance learning. He would seek to make grants available to communities to help them consolidate should they choose to do so, at their own pace and their own rhythm. Grants should also be made available to communities who want to utilize the space made available from declining enrollment for consolidated community services.
As Governor, Peter would work with educators and business leaders to make Vermont a leader in early childhood education. We should strive to become the first state in the country that treats early education as an equal partner.
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It appears that you have a “sane” position on education. I am an educator with 38 years of experience in the classroom and I am deeply concerned about the ramifications of the emphasis on testing under NCLB, and especially with the “Race to the Top”. Education funding should not be a competitive “race”, where a school’s funding is determined by it’s willingness to give up local control over curriculum and teacher evaluation (to name a few of the strings attached). Teachers’ salaries and positions should not be held hostage by students’ test scores: poverty is the major factor affecting those scores, and it is out of the school’s control! The over-emphasis on testing is creating an unhealthy educational atmosphere where test-prep is taking precedence over actual teaching, memorization of lists of words and facts pushes critical thinking and creativity out of the classroom and “one-size-fits-all” approaches are mandated over tailoring education to meet the needs of each student. The students most hurt by this law are those the law proposes to help – children in poor neighborhoods and schools, children who speak languages other than English, and children in Special Education. Testing requirements are costly in other ways as well – districts and states are paying millions (perhaps billions) to buy and score tests and test-prep materials. And all this for NCLB, a law which has not shown results (NAEP test scores have not improved since 2001) and RTTT, which includes practices which have been proven to NOT work!
In addition, the latest push toward “national standards” is a dangerous road to travel for our country. We are a nation built on diversity and individualism, creativity and ingenuity, while using those talents for the common good. The “Common Core Standards” proposed by the Governors’ association and major corporations would remove the local control we Vermonters are so proud of, and serve to destroy those ideals we hold dear. While sounding like a lofty and worthy goal, national standards would not help our students become the problem solvers and life-long learners our nation needs.
Consolidate supervisory unions and cut administration to save $$$$$$$$$$$. Also go to a 4 day school week. Lower the cost of higher education by 20% . Get rid of acuplacer testing at CCV as a requirment to take college level courses.
It is a barrier for people with disabilties.
Thanks, Peter
Peter,
Some see problems as obstacles while others see them as opportunities. The current financial problems are a wake up call to Green up our State and save the environment, and to revamp an educational system based on an outdated agricultural model and schedule. To fix a problem we must be brave, creative and intelligent. Vermont cannot continue to do what everyone else is doing, and expect to be the best! Be bold, Be brave, Vote for Peter Shumlin! You, Peter, have the courage to seek real solutions to tough, but solvable problems. You have my support!
A Friend and Supporter
Peter Deslauriers