Mike Freeman Response
1
Question 1: Many alternatives to the existing education
system have been proposed; including charter schools, vouchers and private
sector involvement. Do you favor any of these approaches, or do you
have specific proposals to strengthen the current system?
The success of our schools throughout most of the 20th century rested on
the unspoken contract between home and school. Today, we face a very
different social reality. Parents do not have as much available time as
they once did for their children and their children's education. The
authority that schools, educators and parents once had is not a given
anymore.
Success for all children, regardless of their cultural or ethnic
background, their language, their economic status, or their abilities or
disabilities, will be the cornerstone for my education plan. We must
prepare our children to enter this highly competitive economy with the
skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully participate. Decisive
action is necessary to meet these goals.
There are some that argue the answer is to provide public money for
families to send their children to for-profit or private schools. I
believe such vouchers would drain valuable public resources out of our
public schools. Instead, we must work together to renew and build strong
community schools.
As Governor, I will support increasing public education from the current
twelve and one-half years to a full fourteen years. I will make all-day
kindergarten universally available and one year-post-secondary
education-either academic or technical-available to all Minnesota high
school graduates. Furthermore, I will support limiting class sizes to
twenty or fewer students, starting with grades K-3. The total cost of
this package is $200 million per year.
I will be a clear and consistent leader in my agenda for safe schools,
strict accountability, access to first rate technology, and a work ethic
for our schools that includes homework.
Finally, I will support cutting $250 million from the local property tax
burden for homeowners by increasing to 70% the state's commitment to
education funding.
As Governor, education will be my top priority.
