Guest Column
by Ron Sparks

Education changes lives. The single most effective way to ensure progressive change in Alabama is to guarantee and invest in education for the young people of Alabama.

Recent studies show that from earnings to pension plans, access to health-care, and overall community vigor, higher education yields significant rewards to recipients from all racial/ethnic/gender groups and society as a whole.

With the recent economic downturn, our education system is facing profound funding gaps. And while the recent passage of the federal stimulus package is an unprecedented opportunity to bridge these gaps, it also creates unsustainable funding dependencies and ignores opportunities to invest in effective long-term solutions.

Without an influx of new revenue into our education system, thousands of teachers will lose their jobs, teacher to student ratios will rise, the level of instruction will suffer, test scores will decline, and our children’s futures will be held hostage through no fault of their own.

During times like these, the people of Alabama expect and deserve a Governor who will not only tell them the truth about the financial calamity we are facing but also offer concrete solutions to address budget shortfalls.

I am the only candidate for Governor with the courage to stand up and protect our public school system from being raided by those seeking charter schools.

Any movement in support of charter schools supports a movement to set up “dual” public schools at the expense of an already underfunded public school system.

Charter schools have failed to be both innovative and visionary and have not produced results that justify such risk.

Studies show that 85 percent of charter schools perform at the same level or below the level of our public schools. Charter schools are at best, a mediocre experimental program.

Charter schools are not the answer for public education in Alabama. We must focus our time and energy on developing new revenue sources and building a world class education system for all children in Alabama.

Alabama voters have made it clear that they do not support tax increases. I have pledged that as Governor, I will not raise taxes on the hard working families of this state.

I am the only candidate for Governor that has a plan that will raise revenue to keep teachers on the job, provide supplies and technology for the classroom, and unlock the doors of higher education for our young people.

As Agriculture Commissioner, I worked to open foreign markets for Alabama products. As Governor, I will expand those initiatives and our underfunded education system will reap the benefits. I will also close the antiquated tax loopholes for multi-national corporations that keep them from paying their fair share.

These are things that can and must be done immediately.

It is a fact that Alabamians spend $1.5 billion a year on gambling. Casinos in Mississippi generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue and a large portion of that money comes out of the pockets of Alabamians traveling there to gamble. I have proposed a comprehensive plan to tax, regulate, and control the gaming industry to provide much needed revenue for education and Medicaid.

If Alabama is willing to implement my plan to tax gambling and bring in millions of dollars to adequately fund our education system, I would be open to looking at alternative programs such as charter schools.

Alabama residents spent $400 million dollars last year on state lotteries that are educating the children of Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. Every year Alabamians spend millions educating the children of surrounding states.

Every year, 21,000 kids enter the 9th grade who will not graduate. College tuition in Alabama is increasing at more than twice the rate as the average family income. For many who do graduate, higher education is just a dream that costs too much.

My LifeStart Education Lottery will ensure that Alabama dollars educate Alabama children.

Every high school student with a “C” or better average will be guaranteed a scholarship to a public Alabama University, two year college, or technical program of their choice. All others who graduate or earn a GED will be guaranteed a technical or trade education.

LifeStart scholarships will provide funding for apprenticeship programs in both union and non-union craft training facilities. Whether a child wants to be a PhD or a pipefitter, LifeStart scholarships will make their dreams become a reality. LifeStart scholarships will lower dropout rates, improve the quality of our workforce, and give hope of a better future to our young people.

Whether you live in Wilcox County or in Mountain Brook, I want every child in Alabama to have the same educational opportunities.

As your Governor, I will continue to stand up for our children and our teachers. Together, we can and will build a better, stronger Alabama.

Tags: Alabama, Governor, Ron Sparks

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 12:13 am and is filed under Alabama Democratic Party, Alabama Politics, Elections 2010. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.