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  • published How will this affect local control of education? in FAQ 2020-03-30 14:47:27 -0700

    How will this affect local control of education?

    Answer

    A:

    Generally, the passage of the Education Freedom Act will have no structural impact on the current public school system. The proposed initiative will not degrade the public school system in any way; it will only make schools and school districts more competitive in order to deliver a product their customers demand. The current California educational system will be preserved intact. The local school districts will continue to be operated as they are now. They can continue to choose which students they will accept (also known as ZIP Code discrimination). They will continue to hire their own teachers and employees. With voter approval, they will continue to be able to float bond issues to construct school facilities and pass) parcel taxes earmarked for schools. 

    The only difference is that the bulk of the revenue will come from parents who enter into contracts with the local public school using the credit from their child’s Educational Savings Account. In brief, very little will change and yet everything will change because of the introduction of competition into the California education system.

  • published Will public school teachers lose their jobs? in FAQ 2020-03-30 09:36:27 -0700

    Will public school teachers lose their jobs?

    Answer

    A:

    Because California public schools are, on average, the worst in the country, families will flee these failing schools in large numbers. Reduced student populations will undoubtedly lead to reductions in teaching and support staff. These job losses in the public sector will also undoubtedly be offset by job opportunities in the private sector. Unquestionably, under-performing teachers will have a tough time securing employment in the private productive educational sector. This is a good thing. One of the many reasons that public schools are failing is because of their medieval civil service and tenure system.

  • published What effect will this intiative have on existing public schools? in FAQ 2020-03-29 19:23:54 -0700

    What effect will this initiative have on existing public schools?

    Answer

    Excellent schools will tend to thrive and grow stronger. Failing schools will decline in enrollment. Initially, students in failing schools may have to travel to attend an excellent charter, private or religious schools. As classroom space becomes available in the failing public schools, they will be absorbed by expanding and new higher performing non-public schools.

    Under the Education Freedom Act, parents will pick the school they feel offers the best learning experience for their children. Public schools will now have to participate in the miracle of the free market to survive. Public education will be forced to dramatically improve. The logical first move for public schools would be to stop preventing students from attending schools outside their zip code.

  • published Is it true that this initiative would destroy public schools? in FAQ 2020-03-29 15:55:36 -0700

    Is it true that this initiative would destroy public schools?

    Answer
    A:

    No. The Educational Freedom Act merely introduces competition into K-12 education just as it exists in higher education, medicine, professional schools, technology and retail. As Americans, we understand that competition makes everyone and everything better. If the number and quality of public schools decline it will only be because they failed to compete, failed to meet the needs of their customers and failed to improve the quality of their product. The most likely effect of the introduction of real school choice will be a radical improvement in the performance of existing public schools.

  • published How many K-12 students are there in California? in FAQ 2020-03-29 15:50:34 -0700

    How many K-12 students are there in California?

    Answer
    A:

    Currently, there are an estimated 5,935,229 K-12 students enrolled in California public schools and approximately 500,000 enrolled in private schools.  Most of the 500,000 students will be found in Catholic schools which together constitute the largest number of private schools in the State.

  • published What is the process for ballot qualification? in FAQ 2020-03-29 15:49:35 -0700

    What is the process for ballot qualification?

    Answer
    A:

    The number of signatures required for a ballot measure amending the California State Constitution is equal to 8% of the total votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election.  Therefore, a minimum of 997,139 valid signatures are required to qualify the Education Freedom Act (working title) initiative for the November 2022 Statewide Ballot.  Because it’s typical for many signatures to be invalidated and thrown out, our goal is to obtain 1.5 million signatures to ensure a safe margin.

     

    Signature gathering will not begin until early September 2021.  The initiative will be submitted to the State Attorney General in July 2021 and 45 days later he will issue “Title and Summary”. At that point, the clock starts and we have 180 days to collect 1.5 million signatures.

  • published •What are the key features of your proposal? in FAQ 2020-03-29 15:48:06 -0700

    What are the key features of your proposal?

    Answer
    A:
    • An Education Savings Account(ESA) will be created for every school age (K-12) child in California.

    • On August 1 of each year the State of California will deposit into that account a sum equal to the average amount spent by the state on each school age child.

    • This money can be used to attend a school chosen by the parents.  The child can remain at the current public school or attend an accredited charter, private or parochial school.

    • Any money not used for tuition can be accumulated and used for other qualified educational expenses and/or saved and used for in-state college or vocational training.