Cynthia McKinney on Education:
In the years since President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, none of his budgets has come close to meeting the level of funding authorized in the Act. The cumulative Administration budgets have fallen billions of dollars short of the amount authorized for funding.
Important federal programs, such as Title I, which supports additional math and reading instruction in high-poverty schools and special education, are currently underfunded. The result is a lack of resources in schools and classrooms across the country.
In Georgia, the National Education Association states that there is a close-to-over-$1 billion gap in funding for Grants To Local Education Agencies and Special Education provided by the Bush administration budget when compared to full funding requirements.
The bipartisan National Governors Association even voted unanimously to label Bush's No Child Left Behind Act an unfunded mandate. States and localities struggle to keep up with the new requirements. Bush's own No Child Left Behind Act called for every teacher to have obtained a state certificate or license to teach by 2005. President Bush fought for the repeal of a federal initiative to modernize America's schools and provide safe, modern places to learn for all children. His budget plan fails to include any dedicated resources to address the $127 billion backlog in school repairs.
America's schools are, on average, 42 years old; while nearly 25,000 public schools, almost one-third of all public school buildings, are in a serious state of disrepair. As a result, more than 15 million students learn in facilities that have substandard heating, ventilation, plumbing, and roofing systems.
It is clear that Republican priorities do not include education for our children. Federal tax cuts for the wealthy and funding for the war come at the expense of education and our children.
Cynthia McKinney calls for full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act
Schools, teachers and students should all be held to high standards, and Cynthia McKinney believes that accountability should be shared by schools, education employees, policymakers, and parents—with the ultimate goal of helping every student succeed.
Cynthia McKinney supports public charter schools that have the same standards of accountability and access as other public schools. Cynthia believes that any publicly funded school must be accountable to the general public—as well as to parents—for budgets, health and safety standards, academic standards, and access for students.
Cynthia McKinney supports reducing class size to allow for more individualized attention for students
Cynthia McKinney believes that students learn best and achieve their full potential in safe and orderly classrooms. This positive academic environment begins with safe families and safe communities, but Cynthia McKinney also strongly advocates that the role of popular and youth culture be considered in programs that provide recreation to young people and which aim to stop violence.
While student enrollments are rising rapidly, more than a million veteran teachers are nearing retirement. Experts predict that overall we will need more than 2 million new teachers in the next decade. Cynthia McKinney believes that the necessary funds to hire new teachers can be found beginning with efforts to eliminate wasteful government spending, most notably resources improperly devoted to the war in Iraq and corrupt and fraudulent military contractors.
Cynthia McKinney believes that America's digital divide is an impediment to this country's educational system. She supports programs that will bring technology into the classrooms and homes of minority communities.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 guarantees that female and male students at all levels of education have equal opportunity to participate in sports and Cynthia McKinney believes it must remain in place. Ms. McKinney will be vigilant in ensuring equal opportunity in sports participation.
