I spend an incredible amount of time at this keyboard writing about the Congressional Race that's brewing here in OH's 16th District. I can come across "gems" that make the whole process of reaching out to the netroots community a pleasure. "Citizen Journalism" is one of today's polical heroes in The Netroots Nation. Today, I happened to stumble upon one of those beauties in The Canton Repository's, "Letters to the Editor":
As state senator, Boccieri has given time, attention to teachers, education issues
Thursday, September 25, 2008
I am a teacher in the Plain Local Schools District and an Alliance-area resident who has been impressively represented in the Ohio Senate by John Boccieri.
Thanks to John's efforts, our industries have increased in jobs and sales volume, the community offers more health seminars to identify residents needing wellness programs, and schools have had a stronger voice in Columbus on issues of accountability and community involvement to make sure students are able to learn.
As district president of the East Central Ohio Education Association (2000-2007), I discovered the importance of John Boccieri's interest in education through his actions when I visited Columbus for Ohio Education Association Member Lobby Days. He was always willing to give his personal attention to everyone's concerns regardless of ethnicity, social status or educational level.
In 2004, without hesitation, I nominated John for our ECOEA Friend of Education Award based on his honesty and service to the people he represented, not just here in Alliance but throughout his state Senate district.
His wife, Stacey, his two small daughters and his parents accepted this distinguished award because he was overseas carrying out his military duties to continue to protect and serve.
When our only son, Staff Sgt. Rowland Purdy Jr. was stationed in Iraq, John encouraged us, and in November 2007, my father's oldest sibling, my 90-year-old Aunt Carrie, who still lives in her home in Alliance, was phoned by John to wish her a happy birthday.
We need to have John Boccieri join other leaders to offer the change we so desperately need to fulfill the promise of hope and success for a stronger community. We are proud of John's dedication, sincerity and leadership.
KATHLEEN PURDY,
LEXINGTON TOWNSHIP
This Plain Local School District Teacher does a great job of showing the personal side of John Boccieri. Now, let's take a look at the business side of John Boccieri's Education Platform:EducationThe Key to American CompetitivenessEducation has always been an essential part of the American Dream, but in a competitive global economy it matters more than ever. Fast-growing nations like China and India are making huge investments in their education systems while American students are falling behind. We have to reform funding and standards to ensure a first-class education for every American student, and put college and advanced degrees within reach of every family.
K-12 EducationThe percentage of young Americans graduating from high school is lower today than a generation ago, and too many schools are struggling with limited funding and flawed requirements. To improve America’s K-12 education system, we need to:
Encourage Full and Fair Education Funding at the State and Local LevelOhio’s broken school funding system has been ruled unconstitutional four times. It needs serious reform, and the Federal Government can use its legislative power and the share of education funding it provides as leverage to push for effective solutions at the state level.
Make the Federal Government Put Its Money Where Its Mouth IsWashington has to stop placing new requirements and expectations on our local schools without providing the resources to meet them. We should either fully fund federal education programs or cut back on the burdens placed on local schools from the national level.
Fix Federal Education PolicyWhile No Child Left Behind set an important goal of ensuring student proficiency in basic subjects, the structure of the program has made it very difficult for local schools to meet its requirements. To fix this, we need to:
Ensure that the Federal Government works with state and local education systems to develop its education policies, rather than handing down orders from above;Change the standards by which we measure school quality and student achievement to emphasize growth and improvements over time;Ensure that all states are using similar standards to evaluate student achievement and that those standards measure genuine knowledge, preparedness and success, not just the ability to pass a certain test;Hold schools accountable through constructive feedback and effective support.Prepare Our Students for the 21st Century WorkforceAmerica’s schools should not only provide a first-class education in English, math and history, but a special emphasis on scientific and technical knowledge. Students should have opportunities to receive vocational training and graduate from high school fully prepared to pursue college degrees in cutting-edge technical fields.
Support and Strengthen Our TeachersTalented teachers are at the heart of a high-quality education system. We need to fairly reward our best teachers and encourage a new generation of lifelong educators with college scholarships, high-quality teacher preparation, partnerships between teacher training programs and successful schools, and strong support systems for new educators.
Get Parents Engaged and Keep Kids in SchoolParental involvement is also vital to student success, and increasing graduation rates will strengthen our workforce while reducing the financial and social instabilities that arise when young people have little hope for the future. We need to ensure that families are engaged in their children’s education and help schools prevent at-risk students from dropping out.
Support Early Childhood EducationPre-K education leads to dramatic benefits throughout the rest of a child’s time in school, including improved achievement, higher graduation rates, and less risky or criminal behavior. It is estimated that for every one dollar invested in early education, America can save as much as seven dollars that would otherwise be spent addressing problems later.
College EducationA college degree is more important than ever in today’s competitive global economy, but average tuition at America’s public universities has nearly doubled since 2001. A college education should be affordable for everyone, and innovative new policies can address costs while encourage young Americans to contribute to the strength of our nation.
Provide College Aid in Exchange for Public ServiceJohn’s service in the Military enabled him to pursue Master’s Degrees in Business and Public Administration, and the new G.I. Bill puts a college education in reach of every U.S. veteran. We should use this model to provide college scholarships and financial aid to young Americans willing to serve not only in the military but as teachers, health care providers, first responders and other public servants.
Expand Financial Aid and Give Tuition Tax Breaks to Middle-Class FamiliesThe skyrocketing cost of college makes tuition a challenge even for families who are otherwise financially secure. We should simplify the current tangle of college tax incentives into a single tax credit, available to every middle class family, that would cover most of the first year of tuition at a public university for each child. We also need to expand federal grants and loans for low-income families and stop subsidizing college loan schemes that are inefficient or even corrupt.
Control College CostsWe have to ensure that hard-working students and their families are receiving a fair return for the high cost of college by ensuring accountability in our higher education industry. Textbook publishers and other suppliers of educational needs should not be allowed to take advantage of students who are already struggling with college costs.
Encourage Advanced Degrees for American StudentsIn the last quarter-century, America’s population has grown by nearly 75 million, but the number of students admitted to U.S. medical schools has barely increased at all. We have a shortage of nurses, may soon face a shortage of doctors, and the same is true in many other advanced fields. While we are proud that students travel from around the world to pursue advanced degrees in the United States, we also have to expand advanced education opportunities for American students who will use their talents to turn around our economy and strengthen our nation.
It's time we started putting our next generation first; they are our future. One read of the current political headlines shows just how bad the failed policies of the last eight years has damaged their future. At a minimum they deserve quality education at every level. John Boccieri is the candidate to bring real change to Ohio's 16th Congressional District.
If you have a personal endorsement be sure to let us know. We love to here it and you just might get to see it here!
