Funding Education

Yesterday I wrote this blurb to send to President Obama via the whitehouse.gov autofill form regarding his education agenda.   If you haven’t read the agenda, you can find it here.

Regarding eduction agenda item “Addressing the Dropout Crisis:” this will require funds going directly to schools with the highest dropout rates per state-not districts. Funding should be directed to 1) lower class size 2) create enrichment programs (arts, foreign language) 3) provide salary for a parent liaison position 4) increase teacher salaries. More stringent hiring practices are needed for teachers in these schools. High salaries will attract more experienced, better trained teachers.

Notes left in the autofill form are limited to 500 characters, which is a challenge to say the least.  My main point (that within my 500 characters I failed to make) is that the first thing we need is FUNDING.  Apparently President Obama received my note on his blackberry and is telepathic because the headlines this morning are: 

Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education (NY Times)

State could get $10 billion stimulus school aid (SF Chronicle)

GObama GObama GObama GO!