To the Editor:
Jan. 22 kicked off National School Choice Week. Many events around the country are taking place to promote school choice, as well as school reform. I fully support efforts to reform a public school system that has failed to educate our children.
This is not an indictment on our teachers, because I believe most of them are doing a great job. It is, however, a call to end the bureaucracy that is preventing our children from getting the education they deserve. For years, the idea has been if we want to educate our children, we must invest in our educational system. This is true to some extent, but this thinking has been manipulated and has become a way for school administrators to become wealthy at the expense of the taxpayers.
We need to end the notion that more money will equal better educated children. That is not the case. We need a well-run school system to educate our children. We must begin the process of removing the federal government from our school systems. We need to empower the states and local communities to develop a system that meets the needs of each community. All children should have the ability to attend the best schools, not just those who are gifted or wealthy. Parents should not be forced to send their children to a failing school simply because of where they live. Rather than continue to throw money at a problem that is obviously not solved by increased spending, we should give parents vouchers so they can choose the education that best fits their children.
As parents, we must take an active role in the education of our children, because no one knows the needs of our children better than us. If we truly want to have a world class educational system, then we must promote competition and eliminate the monopoly that this government run system has over our children.
WASHINGTON FLORES