Issues

By Louis Pugliese

Student and families deserve a great school close to their home, and should not be forced to travel across town to find one. Every district school should put forward plans for excellence, in partnership with parents, teachers, students, and the community.

Career and Technical Diplomas Now-No More Dropouts

We can no longer wait. This is not a budget issue. In fact, for every student we retain in an appropriate program, we will get state and federal funding. This is in addition to the future economic benefits of a skilled workforce and educated citizens. Instead of building $500 million dollar "boutique" schools for a dwindling school population, some of those funds could be used to build specialized "Graduation Centers," focused on retaining, bringing back, and training those at risk students.

Community School Councils

Too many parents and community groups have had their concerns fall on deaf ears in the gargantuan bureaucracy, with local administrators and teachers often powerless to change things for the better. Local districts must have genuine authority and autonomy over issues such as curriculum and budget, as well as discipline and school security issues.

End Outside Contracting

End all outside contracts for instructional services. Our district is larger than many entire State Education systems. There is no excuse for outsourcing tens of millions of dollars to write test questions and devise evaluation schemes while our own teachers are getting laid off. We can and should do this ourselves. A comprehensive audit of all district contracting is long overdue.