You Are a State Governor Poll #1

[vcczar]

I'll try and make one of these posts occasionally. 

In this post, you've been elected governor, and Education in your state is so appauling that it is a top 5 issue for citizens in your state. Failing to improve education attainment, scores, and teacher wages, etc., could make you a one-term governor. 

[Pringles]

I selected multiple but the trade schools one is my most preferred option.

[Cenzonico]

I didn't realize this was multiple choice so I only chose one thing. I'd also do "Call on a bill the creates subsidies for the private sector to build more private education institutions that will compete with the public schools.", and "Call on a flat rate tax law for all incomes to increase annual funding."

[ConservativeElector2]

My 'other' is to develop more traditional textbooks and go back to a more traditional approach to teach students. From my point of view this has always worked best. In our education system here, we see a lot of modern methods teaching kids like assistant teachers and dynamic forms of learning, but I don't think it works out. A school shouldn't be a playground.

We should also take a look on what is being taught actually. There needs to be a greater focus on maths and physics for example. Things like art, music and sports are for extracurricular activities, unless we teach the students facts about composers or artists and their works. History lessons should also tell the hard facts (wars, generals, dates, etc.), instead of focusing on less important stuff like idk the hippie culture movement. Geography should aim to teach people about countries and their regions/cities whatever. In language courses we should also go the more traditional way with Shakespeare and so on, instead of putting a focus on modern youth literature. These works might be nice (occasionally), but knowing about the great works of the past is more important. 

[Rezi]

Can't comment on tax changes, since I don't know what the situation looks like, but assuming we need funding, I'd probably push for sin taxes and if the state has a sales tax, replace that with progressive income tax.

The keys, in my non-expert eyes, to increasing education would be to decrease the student:teacher ratio, change up the curriculum to further engage and educate students, and more trade schools to help get rid of the notion that tertiary education is necessary and further help individual students have educations more specialized to their interests and abilities. 

My other would be to try to gut corruption in the education system as much as my power can do. Get as many proper educators who really care about and understand students in there. 

I would also probably try to work with the NGA and my state's congressional delegates as much as I could to gut the power of the college board, get rid of NCLB/Standardized Tests, and further localize education.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Rezi

[vcczar]

10 minutes ago, Rezi said:

would be to decrease the student:teacher ratio,

How would you go about this? I think this is actually an essential factor by the way. 

[Rezi]

59 minutes ago, vcczar said:

How would you go about this? I think this is actually an essential factor by the way. 

Increase teacher pay and, depending on current requirements, consider lowering educational standards for new hires.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Rezi

[Pringles]

11 minutes ago, Rezi said:

Increase teacher pay and, depending on current requirements, consider lowering educational standards for new hires.

I would only consider this if we take a look at performance based pay, concerning lowering the standards. Plenty of bad teachers already. I want to reward good ones. Ones who not only can teach but care about the students and create a personable environment for them.

 

[Rezi]

Just now, Pringles said:

I would only consider this if we take a look at performance based pay, concerning lowering the standards. Plenty of bad teachers already. I want to reward good ones. Ones who not only can teach but care about the students and create a personable environment for them.

 

Performance based pay, but controlled in a way that teachers can't just manipulate it by making their class easy. I would also deal with bad teachers by weakening teachers' unions, but I wouldn't be so open about that one publicly 😛

[Pringles]

1 minute ago, Rezi said:

Performance based pay, but controlled in a way that teachers can't just manipulate it by making their class easy. I would also deal with bad teachers by weakening teachers' unions, but I wouldn't be so open about that one publicly 😛

Yeah exactly. As based as participation grades were, I’d want new guidelines around assignments, and teacher inspections periodically to ensure it’s being met. 
 

and yeah screw the teachers unions.

[jnewt]

The fact that property taxes are the primary funding for public education is a huge reason for inequities between neighborhoods, municipalities, and states when it comes to education and socioeconomic status in general. 
 

I’d call for a significant increase in affordable housing development and loosening exclusionary zoning policies in order to open up opportunities in new neighborhoods for lower income people, as well as shifting away from relying on property taxes as the primary funding source for public education and centralizing the control of the funding to ensure a more equitable distribution across the state. 

[Cenzonico]

3 hours ago, Rezi said:

I would also deal with bad teachers by weakening teachers' unions

[WVProgressive]

14 hours ago, ConservativeElector2 said:

My 'other' is to develop more traditional textbooks and go back to a more traditional approach to teach students. From my point of view this has always worked best. In our education system here, we see a lot of modern methods teaching kids like assistant teachers and dynamic forms of learning, but I don't think it works out. A school shouldn't be a playground.

We should also take a look on what is being taught actually. There needs to be a greater focus on maths and physics for example. Things like art, music and sports are for extracurricular activities, unless we teach the students facts about composers or artists and their works. History lessons should also tell the hard facts (wars, generals, dates, etc.), instead of focusing on less important stuff like idk the hippie culture movement. Geography should aim to teach people about countries and their regions/cities whatever. In language courses we should also go the more traditional way with Shakespeare and so on, instead of putting a focus on modern youth literature. These works might be nice (occasionally), but knowing about the great works of the past is more important. 

While I agree that we should focus on educating students in Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math subjects, I disagree with your opposition to teaching students about the arts, and sports. Teaching students about the arts is about so much more than just “This Shakespeare, he’s known as one of the English language’s greatest playwrights, his best known play is Romeo, and Juliet.” It’s about teaching them to understand, and appreciate culture, and how to think creatively. Furthermore teaching the arts may enhance STEM education, as I would argue that creative thinking is essential for technological, scientific, and cultural advancement.

And with regards to sports, I think physical education, and nutritional education is severely lacking in (American) schools, as evidenced by our current obesity epidemic. I think cutting cutting for sports is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing. Furthermore, one could argue that scholastic sports nurture students’ competitive spirit, engender camaraderie between teammates, and create a common point of pride for a school.

[ConservativeElector2]

2 hours ago, WVProgressive said:

While I agree that we should focus on educating students in Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math subjects, I disagree with your opposition to teaching students about the arts, and sports. Teaching students about the arts is about so much more than just “This Shakespeare, he’s known as one of the English language’s greatest playwrights, his best known play is Romeo, and Juliet.” It’s about teaching them to understand, and appreciate culture, and how to think creatively. Furthermore teaching the arts may enhance STEM education, as I would argue that creative thinking is essential for technological, scientific, and cultural advancement.

I am not opposed to teaching arts, just to the way it is done where I live. I think it would be great to teach arts the way, that you learn about who painted what when. Less practical, more theoretical - same goes for music. Who composed what when.

Regarding sports: I love the American culture of high school and college sports and I think this should be done so worldwide. However, here where there are no football teams in school, sports is just a boring do-whatever-you-want-subject taught by unmotivated folks. This time could be used otherwise. 

[Pringles]

Already we see schools phasing out social studies in favor of more sciences or some other absolute nonsense. We are raising a generation that isn’t gonna know what history is 

[WVProgressive]

1 hour ago, ConservativeElector2 said:

I am not opposed to teaching arts, just to the way it is done where I live. I think it would be great to teach arts the way, that you learn about who painted what when. Less practical, more theoretical - same goes for music. Who composed what when.

I suppose I just don’t see the point in teaching kids a glorified chronological list of the greatest classical symphonies, and their composers. Think of it this way, teach a student about who Bach was, and what his most famous pieces are - and they may or may not remember. Teach a student how to play Bach, and you’ll have made a lover of classical music forever.

[jvikings1]

Call for school choice legislation that allows the per student funding to follow the students instead of funding failed monopolies.

Also, abolish the teachers' unions.

[MrPotatoTed]

On 10/17/2022 at 5:47 PM, ConservativeElector2 said:

My 'other' is to develop more traditional textbooks and go back to a more traditional approach to teach students. From my point of view this has always worked best. In our education system here, we see a lot of modern methods teaching kids like assistant teachers and dynamic forms of learning, but I don't think it works out. A school shouldn't be a playground.

We should also take a look on what is being taught actually. There needs to be a greater focus on maths and physics for example. Things like art, music and sports are for extracurricular activities, unless we teach the students facts about composers or artists and their works. History lessons should also tell the hard facts (wars, generals, dates, etc.), instead of focusing on less important stuff like idk the hippie culture movement. Geography should aim to teach people about countries and their regions/cities whatever. In language courses we should also go the more traditional way with Shakespeare and so on, instead of putting a focus on modern youth literature. These works might be nice (occasionally), but knowing about the great works of the past is more important. 

How does one decide what is more important?  For example, I find much more value in "how" to paint or play music than to be able to name the painters and composers.  Likewise, I'm not sure the date of such-and-such battle from the 100 Years War is necessarily more useful knowledge than awareness of the hippie culture movement.  Hell, I'm an actor in my free time and I don't particularly like Shakespeare.  

I think offering the widest variety of knowledge and letting students identify for themselves what seems the most appealing and what they are most interested in is our best bet.  I was a D student at best when it came to science and maybe a C in math.  But I thrived in extra curriculars, and those extra curriculars put me on the path to becoming a financially successful, stable contributor to my community.

[MrPotatoTed]

My other:  Study WHY we're 50/50, and compare what we're doing to the top ten education states.  "Is" the problem a lack of funding?  Is it a union thing?  Is it something only tangentially related like kids aren't getting enough breakfast in the morning or their houses are too cold in the winter to focus on homework?  Who knows?  I don't.  We need to find out so we can fix it.

But fixing it would indeed be my top priority.  Good schools = becoming a desirable place for families to live.  Becoming a desirable place for families to live increases stability and taxes.  Stability and taxes = further investments in the community, which keeps increasing the desirability, which keeps the beautiful cycle turning.

As a dad, "how are the schools?" has been my first question every time we've considered moving for a job opportunity, etc.  If they're not good enough, literally nothing else can convince me to make the move anyway.

[DakotaHale]

Cap the size of administrator growth. Administrators have grown far more than teachers or students have and it’s making education needlessly costly. Severely restrict (the power of teachers unions or abolish altogether (I strongly support private unions but public unions in general are shit). Also reduced educational requirements to teach.

Mandatory financial education classes, preferably a full year but realistically a semester class they have to take at least in one year high school. Limit the amount of at-home assignments a teacher is allowed to assign. Subsidized nutritious lunches, hearing, and eye exams in schools to improve health. Allocate two minutes of silence at the beginning of the school day following the pledge of allegiance (for prayer; or personal reflection). Just enough subsidies so that each school has an athletics team and one optional-but-encouraged foreign language elective course.

[DakotaHale]

Also abolish the state Department of Education and replace it with a committee of public, private/charter, trade school representatives etc. probably with a 50/25/25 split

[Rezi]

10 minutes ago, DakotaHale said:

Cap the size of administrator growth. Administrators have grown far more than teachers or students have and it’s making education needlessly costly.

Based. My high school had three assistant principals and I'm still not sure how that benefits anyone at all. The only thing it did was give us two extra people to hate.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Rezi

[DakotaHale]

On 10/17/2022 at 8:10 PM, jnewt said:

The fact that property taxes are the primary funding for public education is a huge reason for inequities between neighborhoods, municipalities, and states when it comes to education and socioeconomic status in general. 
 

I’d call for a significant increase in affordable housing development and loosening exclusionary zoning policies in order to open up opportunities in new neighborhoods for lower income people, as well as shifting away from relying on property taxes as the primary funding source for public education and centralizing the control of the funding to ensure a more equitable distribution across the state. 

This is a great point. And you see it in red states often that have 0% income taxes but high-ass property taxes. Would definitely be in favor of replacing property taxes with a slight progressive income tax.

[DakotaHale]

I would also be in favor of a tax incentive that would offer tax deductions for sponsoring school activities (mostly sports fields/teams and arts) in your district that are slightly more tax-advantaged than normal charitable contributions would be to encourage local entrepreneurs/small businesses to invest in their communities but I don’t know how well it would work in practice and it may be corruptible (but idk, school teams don’t make money lol). Someone nitpick this and find my flaws or if this is even legal. I graduated with a 0.67 GPA lmao

[Rezi]

34 minutes ago, DakotaHale said:

I would also be in favor of a tax incentive that would offer tax deductions for sponsoring school activities (mostly sports fields/teams and arts) in your district that are slightly more tax-advantaged than normal charitable contributions would be to encourage local entrepreneurs/small businesses to invest in their communities but I don’t know how well it would work in practice and it may be corruptible (but idk, school teams don’t make money lol). Someone nitpick this and find my flaws or if this is even legal. I graduated with a 0.67 GPA lmao

I think that could be a decent way to help make sure that schools actually put money towards non-sport extracurriculars. Most ECs other than a few sports, at least where I went to school, are ran off of sponsors with little school funding already. That could just really make it more beneficial.

 

The only downside I see is that, like funding off of property taxes, is that it would moreso benefit schools in wealthier areas.