Posted on 08/14/2013 8:00:46 AM PDT by Maelstorm
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican nominee for this year's gubernatorial race, outlined a comprehensive education reform plan during a campaign stop today. Cuccinelli aims to create an easier process for opening charter schools, extend tax credits that send low-income preschoolers to private schools, allow parents to close failing schools by majority petition, expand virtual schooling, and improve curriculum and testing through a new panel.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II unveiled a 12-point education plan on Tuesday that would push for charter schools, offer voucher-like scholarships for preschoolers and empower a majority of parents to close down, convert or overhaul their childrens failing school, according to an outline of his K-12 education plan.
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The idea of allowing parents to mount a petition to close or dramatically remake their childrens failing school, for example known as a trigger law has caught on among an unlikely coalition of progressives and conservatives seeking to reform the nations schools.
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Cuccinellis educational platform includes establishing a new panel to consist of academics, parents, principals, leaders, educators and students whose acronym, the plan says, would make it the APPLES Commission that would review Virginias Standards of Learning system and search for ways to strengthen the curriculum and testing...Among its aims would be to find ways to emphasize problem-solving and cognitive abilities in testing more than memorization.
Cuccinellis plan calls for using tax credits to create scholarships for preschoolers from low-income families to attend private preschools, including those sponsored by religious organizations...
The second proposed amendment would address what Cuccinellis plan says is one of the most useless charter school laws in the country. Although such schools are permitted under existing law, they must be approved by the district.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
Ken Cuccinelli for Virginia Governor 2013 Ken will continue to work to strengthen our economy and preserve our liberty.
The Democrats will never tolerate this. It might educate the underclass and give them the tools to get out. That is NOT acceptable.
Yes and it is exactly why we need to push and push to break the stranglehold of govt on education. The left depends on a consistent cradle to grave brainwashing to maintain its agenda.
Ken Cuccinelli is a true conservative who would be an awesome Governor for Virginia.
As a Virginian, I regret that he is running a defensive, uninspiring campaign.
Ken Cuccinelli appears to be afraid to confront his liberal opponent on the real issues facing our State.
I will gladly vote for Ken, but I believe he may lose, because he running such a weak campaign.
You know, I think that our political system at least at the Federal level is on it’s last gasps. And I see little reason to vote for the uniparty or it’s candidates. But then I look at the fine slate of candidates we have in Virginia and wonder why the disconnect?
As for this proposal, I generally like it. Virginia’s constitution effectively bars vouchers; that’s fine, I don’t happen to like vouchers, either. This is a long term reform effort and if it falls on the side of tax credits as opposed to a voucher system, I could come to support it.
The ‘rat wing of the uniparty does not control the GA. And every now and then, the GA manages to do something right.
Of course the ‘rats will do their best to derail anything that loosens control of the plantation. And there are enough sunshine conservatives in the GA to confound most conservative reform efforts. But I think that they’re a bit afraid of the cooch. If he’s elected, he will put them under pressure to do the right thing.
It'll pick up as we head toward November. I think he's handing Fast Terry just enough rope.
I think he needs to up his game. I’d like to see him take an approach similar to Rich Scott in Florida. I know he doesn’t have the $ to totally saturate the state the way Scott did in FL but it wasn’t just the $ that won. It was clear concise sound bites saying things that people could instantly support and remember positively. Right now its as if both campaigns are stalled a bit. McAuliffe is such a horrible candidate that Ken has a bit more time to rev things up but the problem is that McAuliffe has tons of money which is something we out here need to change.
We can’t afford Terry McAuliffe.
I believe that too. McAuliffe is a really bad candidate which gives Ken a bit more time to rev things up but McAuliffe has tons of money and I believe that is one area where Ken needs to reach out and do more fundraisers and go out of his way to offer up Reaganesque sound bites. People need things to share that will get people not just in VA excited but outside the state so to draw in even more funds.
I also think the campaign needs to advertise on digital media more. I have to say I’ve not seen a lot of negative attack ads yet except for those on Terry McAuliffe related to China. We just need to be careful and not be lulled into a sense that we aren’t going to have to fight for this because we are.
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