Many parents and taxpayers feel the problem is overwhelming for one person and there is nothing they can do. There are several things individuals can do to make a difference. In the first several segments of “Kids Aren’t Cars,” we laid out many of the problems and some of the solutions.
Watch ‘What Can I Do?’ – Episode 9 – “Kids Aren’t Cars”
Parents
- Look at all of your schooling options.
- Get to know your teacher.
- Find out: Does your child attend a student-focused school?
- Is the staff more worried about pay and benefits than putting your kids first?
- If your neighborhood school is ineffective, demand options from community and elected leaders.
Taxpayers
- Know your school board.
- Who did the union endorse in the last election?
- Are they calling for tax increases or spending reform?
- If you’re a taxpayer, parent or Tea Party group, interview candidates and hold them accountable.
- If you don’t like what’s happening, run for the school board. Contact American Majority for training. (link to americanmajority.org)
- Look into how your public school is spending YOUR money. It’s not their money – it’s your money.
- Demand to know what is going on in contract negotiations.
Elected Officials
- Give parents options.
- Empower parents so they can escape failing schools.
- Consider a Parent Trigger law, as California’s Parent Revolution did.
- Stand with U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in believing that students trapped in failing schools should be rescued immediately, by any means necessary, and not wait for bureaucrats to tinker with the system.
- Increase transparency.
- Post financial data on your website.
- Be forthcoming about teacher effectiveness.
- Reform/Eliminate tenure and “last hired/first fired” policies
- End the conflict of interest and money-making schemes by organized labor that are distractions and create unnecessary fights in our communities.
We must each do what we can to fix the education system. Clearly those involved can’t be trusted to do it or they would have by now.