Gary Johnson - Education
Unschool Bus Interview
In April of 2011, Governor Johnson was interviewed by the Unschool bus and spoke about his support for ending the Department of Education, support for home schooling, and support for school choice.
Fox News / Google Debate
On September 22, 2011 Governor Johnson participated in the Fox News / Google debate. He stated that he would advocate for ending the Department of Education.
QUESTION: Hi, I'm Stella Lohmann from Atlanta, Georgia. I've taught in both public and private schools, and now as a substitute teacher I see administrators more focused on satisfying federal mandates, retaining funding, trying not to get sued, while the teachers are jumping through hoops trying to serve up a one-size-fits-all education for their students. What as president would you seriously do about what I consider a massive overreach of big government into the classroom? Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
BAIER: That topic is for all candidates. And to get everyone to weigh in, 30 seconds each, please.
Governor Johnson?FORMER GOV. GARY JOHNSON, R-N.M.: I'm promising to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013. That's a 43 percent reduction in federal spending.
I am going to promise to advocate the abolishment of the federal Department of Education.(APPLAUSE)
The federal Department of Education gives each state 11 cents out of every dollar that every state spends, but it comes with 16 cents worth of strings attached. So what America does not understand is that it's a negative to take federal money. Give it to 50 laboratories of innovation, the states, to improve on, and that's what we'll see:
dramatic improvement.
2012 Presidential Campaign Website Statements
EDUCATION AND SCHOOL CHOICE
American education is at a crossroads.
We can either choose to continue down the path of higher costs, poorer results, and top-down thinking, or challenge the status quo by using what actually works rather than what we wish would work.
The problem is public education in America is now doing less with more. This is unsustainable for our pocketbooks and, most importantly, unfair to our children.
Now, imagine an educational system that not only educates students better, but also does it for less money every year. It would give each American child the opportunity to choose an individualized education to realize his or her dreams.
Rethinking Education
1 GIVE EDUCATION BACK TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS
LOCAL CONTROL MEANS THAT WE ALL WIN.
- All parents should have an opportunity to choose which school their children attend.
- Putting educational funds in the hands of the people who use them gives parents and students a vote as to which schools are best and which need to improve.
- Our children deserve the chance to succeed educationally, but the same old way of thinking won't cut it. It's time to free individuals and states from burdensome federal mandates and regulations so they can pursue the right educational strategies for their students.
2 END THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
ALTHOUGH IT MAY SOUND DRASTIC, THERE ARE practical reasons why it should be considered.
- The Department of Education grants each state 11 cents out of every dollar it spends on education. Unfortunately, every dollar of this money comes with 16 cents of strings attached. States that accept federal funding lose five cents for every dollar spent on education to pay for federal mandates and regulations, taking millions of dollars out of the classroom.
- Schools should have the authority to decide how best to spend educational dollars. Without federal regulations and mandates, schools could choose to purchase new computers, better lab equipment, and maintain after-school sports and music programs even during times of tight budgets.
- Once citizens and their local representatives have the freedom to decide how their educational funds will be spent, they can consider innovations that will drive student choice, educational competition, and better results.