The November 2022 election may offer a number of measures to improve the educational opportunity for students. The election will pit unions against parents and students. The California Teachers Association (CTA) alone will use its 331,000 members’ dues to crush any move to add competition to government schools.
The last school choice campaign in 2000 failed. The CTA spent tens of millions to protect its communist schools control. That school system is a Godless monopoly run by a centrally-managed government and workers union. Its anti-American policies and propaganda poison young people’s understanding of the greatest freedom and prosperity the world has ever known.
The last two years (2020-21) have been costly and enlightening for parents and students. Lockdown learning was a loser with no lives saved. It instead killed students and adults by contributing to suicide and overdoses. The scholastic and mental health damages do not appear on any Covid ‘dashboards.’ Maybe the dog ate the stats.
Parents paid their taxes and paid again to keep their children home. Adults Zoom- watched impotent teaching that they would have never been privy to in pre-Covid times. Unhealthy mandates of clot shots, masking, socialist distancing, and plexi-glass cells betrayed the trust that schools were led by intelligent people. Few really believe that schools are for students today.
Pornographic sex-ed, Critical Race Theory, gender chaos, and the mockery of science (global warming and evolution scams) have pushed parents to the edge. Now, D’s and F’s are being eliminated “so students will be better qualified for college.” What? And, how about complaining parents now making the FBI’s most wanted list thanks to the National School Boards Association?
Some families and teachers are quietly leaving for a free-state. They see California Gulags as too far gone. Others are staying put and choosing alternative schooling.
People remaining in California to fight might review the Education Freedom Act (EFA) of 2022 (see www.californiaschoolchoice.org). The EFA, if approved by voters, would bring true school choice to all K-12 students in the state who choose to opt-into the proposed program. The initiative is designed to see state education funding follow the student.
Mike Alexander, chair of Californians for School Choice says, "Parents wanting to leave the disastrous public school system would receive a yearly tuition credit of $14,000 per child to attend a private or religious school of their choice and save any money left over for college, vocational training or other qualified expense."
The Education Freedom Act has four key components: 1) An Education Savings Account ("ESA") will be established for each K-12 child in California on request. The Act treats all K-12 California students equally; 2) Each year, that account will be credited with the student's share of what are known as Prop 98 funds. That share will rise to over $14,000 per year. The Act is designed to be tax neutral and does not impose any changes to public education.
All programs under Prop. 98 will continue as before. Students who leave public school will have their fair share of Prop. 98 funds only, which will follow them to the accredited private school of their choice: 3) Parents can direct those funds to a participating public, charter, or accredited private or religious school. Private schools must be accredited and conform with local health and safety standards. There will be no curriculum or hiring requirements. There are no caps on the savings account; 4) Any unspent funds will accumulate and can be spent on college, vocational training or other qualified educational expense. Funds not spent by the time a student reaches age 30 will be returned to the treasury.
The EFA is designed to encourage free market competition. "This will cause schools, both public and private, to improve performance and lower costs to get their fair share of education dollars. By empowering parents to take advantage of how schools will have to compete for funding will lead to improved customer service at all schools, both public and private," Alexander said.
The initiative will require 1 million valid signatures to qualify and it would amend the State Constitution. Californians for School Choice have about 120 days left to obtain signatures.
Those interested in signing or gathering signatures can contact Mona Murphy (530-329-0976 voice or text for Yuba-Sutter Counties). Contacts for other counties are listed on the website www.californiaschoolchoice.org, click ‘About Us’ and ‘Find County Chair’.
(Lou Binninger can be heard on No Hostages Radio podcast, live on KMYC 1410AM 10-1 Saturdays, read at Live with Lou on Facebook and at Nohostagesradio.com)
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