The following is a message from Tom Thompson, candidate for superintendent of education.
The teachers of Beaufort County Public Schools recently asked candidates about their ideas and priorities regarding public education and a brief response would be that it’s time for a change.
It’s time that we change the state constitution to promise every child in this state a high quality education.
It’s time that we promise that all students will graduate from high school prepared for success in the workforce.
It’s time that we ensure that each and every child in this state is taught by a highly qualified, highly effective teacher, whose pay is at the very least competitive to that in our neighboring states.
It’s time that we bring back the pride, trust and excitement for public education that we once had before we came under attack by choice proponents who want to use public tax dollars to pay for private education; before high stakes testing that exhausts our children and eats away at their confidence; before issues of gangs and bullying came into prominence in our schools; and before the economic downturn eroded our already-skimpy resources.
School reform is systemic – where all the pieces must work together to create and sustain meaningful change. My platform has revolved around student achievement and to make that happen, several components need to be in place. We will need to create a stable fiscal base for schools, provide all children a safe and secure environment, support terrific teaching, aggressively engage our schools and communities in stronger partnerships, and target resources to replace out-dated facilities.
Our work on revitalizing public education and working through a coalition of stakeholders can also be a catalyst to help reinstate pride in our state. A strong public education system will spur economic development and job creation. The state superintendent of education must work closely with the governor and all agency heads to establish a unified plan of action to align all resources to address our state’s needs; and public education is the most critical piece of the puzzle. We can no longer have stand-alone governmental entities trying to do their part while being disconnected – public school reform is only going to happen through a strong collaborative effort.
To be continued tomorrow in Tom Thompson’s Campaign News
