PRESS RELEASES from Romney for President
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
|
CONTACT: Romney
Press Office
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May 23, 2012
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MITT ROMNEY PROPOSES
EDUCATION REFORM THAT WILL PROVIDE A CHANCE FOR EVERY CHILD
Boston, MA –
Today in Washington, D.C., Mitt Romney delivered a speech on education
and presented his plan for reform that will provide a chance for every
child. Romney criticized President Obama’s preference for
increased
spending over genuine reform, and emphasized the unproductive role that
teachers’ unions have played for decades.
“I
believe the President must be troubled by the lack of progress since he
took office. Most likely, he would have liked to do more,” said
Romney. “But President Obama has been unable to stand up to union
bosses, and unwilling to stand up for kids.”
Romney
outlined a vision for restoring the promise of America’s education
system and guaranteeing every student the opportunity to succeed.
For
the nation’s K-12 schools, his policies will provide more choices for
parents, further emphasize responsibility for results, and place a
quality teacher in every classroom. For higher education, Romney
will
ensure that all Americans have affordable options to prepare them for
successful careers.
“As
president, I will pursue bold policy changes that will restore the
promise of our nation’s education system,” said Romney. “Dramatically
expanding parental choice, making schools responsible for results by
giving parents access to clear and instructive information, and
attracting and rewarding our best teachers — these changes can help
ensure that every parent has a choice and every child has a chance.”
Romney presented the details of his plan:
Education
Reform That Will Provide A Chance For Every Child
As
president, Mitt Romney will pursue genuine education reform that puts
the interests of parents and students ahead of special interests and
provides a chance for every child. He will take the unprecedented
step
of tying federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand
parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their
results instead of their tenure. These policies will equip state
leaders to achieve the change that can only come from commitment and
action at the local level. He will also ensure that students have
diverse and affordable options for higher education to give them the
skills they need to succeed after graduation and that, when they
graduate, they can find jobs that provide a rewarding return on their
educational investment.
K-12: Promoting Choice And Innovation
Giving
students trapped in bad schools a genuine alternative requires four
things: (1) such alternatives must exist, (2) parents must receive
clear information about the performance of their current school and of
the alternatives, (3) students must be allowed to move to a new school,
and (4) students must bring funding with them so that new schools can
afford to serve them. Romney’s reforms achieve each of these
objectives:
·
Allow Low Income And Special Needs Students
To Choose Which School To Attend. Make
Title I and IDEA funds portable so that eligible students can choose
which school to attend and bring funding with them. This plan will
allow the student to choose from any district or public charter school,
or a private school where permitted by state law, or to use funds
toward a tutoring provider or digital course.
·
Provide Incentives For States To
Increase Choices For Parents And Develop Quality Alternatives.
Require states to adopt open-enrollment policies for students receiving
Title I and IDEA funds, and to eliminate caps on charter and digital
schools.
·
Build On The Success Of Effective Charter
And Digital Schools. Amend
the federal Charter School Program so that successful school management
organizations can receive funding to replicate their efforts, serve
more students, and take their programs to scale.
·
Expand The DC Opportunity Scholarship
Program To Serve As A Model For The Nation.
Reverse President Obama’s efforts to eliminate this popular and
effective program. Increase funding and raise caps on
participation to
allow more families to benefit.
K-12: Ensuring High Standards And
Responsibility For Results
Currently,
there is little easily-available data for parents about their
children’s schools. Providing better information for parents will
empower them to hold districts and states responsible for results and,
when combined with increased parental choice, give them more control
over their children’s education. Romney’s reforms will improve
transparency and give parents the information they need:
·
Reform No Child Left Behind By Emphasizing
Transparency And Responsibility For Results. Replace
federally-mandated school interventions with a requirement that states
create straightforward public report cards that evaluate each school on
its contribution to student learning.
K-12: Recruiting And Rewarding Great
Teachers
A
school is only as strong as its teachers, but the most promising
teachers often find it difficult to reach the classroom door or receive
recognition for their efforts once inside. Romney’s reforms
smooth the
path for talented individuals to join the profession and shape the next
generation.
·
Attract And Reward Great Teachers Through
Increased Flexibility And Block Grants. Consolidate
the numerous and overlapping federal teacher quality programs. Offer
states flexible block grants if they adopt policies to advance and
reward teacher quality, such as eliminating or reforming teacher tenure
and establishing evaluation systems that focus on effectiveness in
advancing student achievement.
·
Eliminate Unnecessary Certification
Requirements That Discourage New Teachers. For
instance, the federal “highly qualified teacher” requirement, while
well-intentioned, only serves to reinforce hurdles that prevent
talented individuals from entering the teaching profession in the first
place.
Higher Ed: A New Vision Of Affordable
And Applicable Learning
America’s
traditional community and four-year colleges are the heart of our
nation’s higher education system. However, a flood of federal
dollars
is driving up tuition and burdening too many young Americans with
substantial debt and too few opportunities. Meanwhile, other
models of
advanced skills training are becoming ever more important to success in
the American economy, and new educational institutions will be required
to fill those roles. Romney’s reforms spur the access, affordability,
innovation, and transparency needed to address all of these challenges:
·
Strengthen And Simplify The Financial Aid
System.
Consolidate duplicative and overly complex programs within the
Department of Education. Focus the Department on giving students
and
families with financial need the appropriate information about
completion and persistence, loan repayment rates, future earnings, and
other indicators to intelligently weigh the risks and benefits of the
many options available to them, rather than limiting choices through
punitive regulations.
·
Welcome Private Sector Participation
Instead Of Pushing It Away.
Reverse President Obama’s nationalization of the student loan market
and welcome private sector participation in providing information,
financing, and the education itself.
·
Replace Burdensome Regulation With
Innovation And Competition.
Encourage market entry by innovative new education models, emphasize
skill attainment instead of time spent in the classroom, and support
research and development. Repeal confusing and unnecessary regulations
that primarily serve to drive costs higher, and replace them with
common-sense reforms that ensure appropriate student outcomes.
###
JULIO FUENTES: ROMNEY’S
EDUCATION PLAN EXACTLY WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS
Boston,
MA – Today,
Julio Fuentes, President & CEO of the Hispanic Council for Reform
and Educational Options, made the following statement on Mitt Romney’s
proposals for reforming education:
“Mitt
Romney’s plan for education is exactly what this country needs to close
the achievement gap between students nationwide. To give students of
all backgrounds access to a great education, we must increase school
choice, improve standards and accountability, and reward the best
teachers. Rather than catering to special interests, Mitt Romney has
demonstrated he will pursue bold education reform that gives all
students the opportunity to succeed.”
*Company/organization name is
provided for identification purposes only.
GOV. BOB
MCDONNELL: ROMNEY’S POLICIES WILL EXPAND SCHOOL CHOICE
Boston, MA – Today,
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell made the following statement on Mitt
Romney’s proposals for reforming education:
“While
President Obama has expressed some positive ideas on how to reform our
schools, he refuses to challenge the unions that will do anything to
protect the status quo. We need a president who is more concerned with
creating opportunities for students than saving his own job. Governor
Romney understands the importance of charter schools in expanding
school choice and giving low income and special needs students a
fighting chance to succeed. Instead of being beholden to special
interests, as president he would fight tirelessly for higher standards
of transparency, offering families the information they need to hold
schools accountable. Governor Romney’s policies would also facilitate
the recruitment of the best teachers by rewarding merit and abolishing
certification requirements which discourage potential new teachers. At
a moment when we face a crisis that reaches beyond the classroom,
Governor Romney offers common sense, practical solutions designed to
ensure that we continue to be a nation of innovators.”
GOV. BOBBY JINDAL:
“ROMNEY OFFERS THE NEW LEADERSHIP THAT WILL BE REQUIRED TO TURN OUR
SCHOOLS AROUND”
Boston, MA – Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made
the following statement on Mitt Romney’s proposals for reforming
education:
“President
Obama came into office with big promises to bring education reform to
this country. Unfortunately, his administration has failed to deliver
the better schools that our children deserve and our economy needs.
Instead of standing up to labor bosses who put unions ahead of
students, the President continues to cave to their demands. Mitt
Romney offers the new leadership that will be required to turn our
schools around. He will reform education in this country by promoting
greater school choice, holding schools accountable, and attracting the
best teachers. At a time when test scores show our children falling
behind their counterparts around the world, we desperately need an
education system that adequately prepares them to compete in the global
economy. Governor Romney has spent his career turning around struggling
enterprises and I’m confident he is up to the task of repairing our
broken schools.”
GOV. RICK SNYDER: “I’M
ENCOURAGED BY ROMNEY’S EDUCATION REFORM PLAN”
Boston,
MA – Today, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder made the
following statement on Mitt Romney’s proposals for reforming education:
“Too
many students are being forced to move back home with their parents
after graduating because they can’t find a job. Mitt Romney has a
long
track record as a job creator; he understands what it will take to get
the economy running again. Mitt Romney’s plan to align higher education
with the needs of the job market is on the right track. Simplifying the
student loan process and giving students the tools they need to make
informed decisions will help ensure they are able to start their
careers without being saddled with massive debt. Here in Michigan, we
approved tenure reform legislation that makes it easier to reward great
teachers and remove ineffective ones from the classroom. We also
recently approved changes that will give parents and students more
choices about where to attend school, including expanding options for
online classes. Mitt Romney will bring ideas like these to the
national stage. As a proud nerd, I’m encouraged by Mitt Romney’s
education reform plan.”
Other
Views...
PRESS RELEASE from Center for Education Reform via
PRNewswire
Center
for
Education
Reform Applauds Presidential Candidates for Finally
Focusing on Education
WASHINGTON, May
23,
2012
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week both presidential candidates
turned their attention to education, signaling a new focus on education
reform as a campaign issue. Yesterday the Obama Administration
announced a new round of Race to the Top (R2TT) grants aimed at schools
districts and Mitt Romney is making
speeches in New York and Washington, D.C.
to outline his education plan. Today, The Center for Education Reform
(CER) applauded the emergence of structural change in education as a
key theme in both campaigns and counseled the candidates to make the
issue a cornerstone of their campaigns.
CER President Jeanne Allen made the
following statement:
"I'm
pleased that both Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney are finally paying serious
attention to education reform. I hope this signals a shift to a
serious focus and healthy debate about reforming our education system
in a real and substantive way.
"President
Obama is now proposing that Race to the Top – the centerpiece of his
education plan which has had mixed results in the first round – should
aim federal funds at schools districts, clearly a constituency he needs
to win re-election. But while creating a competition for money at the
district level is alluring, history tells us that it will make no
difference in the lives of children, so long as school systems continue
to be hogtied by unreasonable union contracts and subject to laws that
hamper reform.
"Governor Romney, who when he ran Massachusetts
was leading the charge for the kind of reforms that have been often
touted by the Obama and previous administrations has launched an effort
to reenergize his education credentials with his speeches last night in
New York and today in Washington. His comments on putting kids
before unions are encouraging as were his support for accountability
and choice.
"Both
candidates are now firmly fighting for the education reform moral high
ground. But it is school choice, which the Black Alliance for Education
Options and others consider the true civil rights issue of our time,
where Romney and Obama differ. Here in D.C., Governor Romney has
defended the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. Today everyone from
parents to the Washington Post are urging President Obama not to kill
it. This indeed could be the defining issue of the 2012
presidential
campaign – whether our next President is courageous enough to buck the
status quo and truly embrace a bold reform agenda that puts parents
interests ahead of special interests. We salute any leader who
does
just that."
The
Center for Education Reform (CER) creates opportunities for and
challenges obstacles to better education for America's communities.
Founded in 1993, CER combines education policy with grassroots advocacy
to foster positive and bold education reforms. For more information,
visit www.edreform.com.
PRESS RELEASE from American Federation of
Teachers
FOR RELEASE: May 23, 2012
CONTACT: Carolyn Fiddler
AFT Denounces Romney's
Rehash of Failed Education Proposals
GOP
Candidate
Prefers
Attacking
Teachers
to
Improving
Schools
WASHINGTON—Speaking
from a conference on collaborative school reform, where she joins more
than 400 educators, administrators and leaders to discuss how
collaboration between labor and management can transform our public
education system and improve teaching and learning, American Federation
of Teachers President Randi Weingarten addressed the education policy
proposals delivered by Mitt Romney today.
"Today,
Mitt Romney squandered an opportunity to participate in a meaningful
discussion of real education reform by attempting to disguise attacks
on teachers and public education as meaningful policy proposals.
Instead of looking to improve education for all children, he parroted
failed voucher and privatization schemes that have not improved student
learning. Romney's proposal to take even more money out of public
education and funnel it to private schools is absurd at a time when
school budgets already are being slashed to the bone across the
country.
"Right
now, American education needs a collaborative approach toward
improvement and reform that focuses on student achievement, but Romney
wants to divide the people who work most closely with kids every day
from students, parents and the community. What Romney fails to
understand is that when teachers and public schools have the resources
they need, students win. Romney is presenting America with a false
choice: If you support teachers, then you must be against kids. Real
public education improvement comes from teachers, administrators,
parents and communities rolling up their sleeves and working together
to help all kids, not just some kids, succeed.
"It's
a sad day when a presidential candidate uses a speech on education
reform to further demonize teachers and divide the country—which do
nothing to serve our children."
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten:
http://twitter.com/rweingarten
# # # #
PRESS
RELEASE
from
National
Education Association
CONTACT: Miguel A. Gonzalez
Romney takes
page out of education playbook of President George W. Bush
Recycles
the
same
failed
policies that hurt students and public schools
WASHINGTON - May 23, 2012 - Former
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney finally got around to talking about
education on the campaign trail this week. Just yesterday he announced
his team of education policy advisors and today at a speech at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce he outlined his education platform.
“If
you liked President George W. Bush’s education legacy, you’re going to
love Mitt Romney’s education vision for America if he’s elected
president,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel. “Not only did he
recycle many of the key education players from the Bush administration
but he’s also pursuing some of the failed policies that hurt students
and schools.”
Romney’s education plan, outlined today
during his speech demonstrates a complete disdain for public schools
and educators. His speech lacks a meaningful plan for parental
engagement or providing what is best for students in need. There is no
mention of priorities or realities about what is actually happening in
classrooms across America.
Educators also are scratching
their heads about the choices that Romney made in selecting his team of
education advisors, which includes former Education Secretary Rod
Paige. Paige once referred to teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and
other educator members of NEA as “a terrorist organization.” His
list
of advisors also includes a state superintendent who pushed a host of
bills protested by community leaders, parents and educators because he
promised to increase class sizes, reduce the teaching force, replace
teachers with mandatory online classes and erode educator rights. Other
advisors come straight out of think tanks that have worked to
undermine
public education and what works for students.
“This is
just another sign that Romney is not only out of touch with the
realities and concerns of middle class and working Americans, but that
he’s completely out of touch with what is happening in schools and
classrooms across the country,” said Van Roekel.
Until
this week, Romney had not taken the time to issue his
education policy
platform. And he hasn’t talked much about his education record as
governor of Massachusetts. Spoiler alert: his record wasn’t anything to
write home about.
As governor, Romney cut early
education and pre-k funding, vetoed $10 million for kindergarten
expansion, questioned the benefits of early education, and suggested
Head Start was a failure. He has consistently supported policies like
so-called school choice and vouchers, which make it harder for all
students to receive a well-rounded education that prepares them to
compete in a 21st century economy. Vouchers also drain scarce resources
from neighborhood public schools. Romney also dismissed the importance
of class sizes, whish are one of the most important indicators of how
well children do in school. Personal attention from teachers is vital
to a child, and it’s difficult or impossible to get that attention in a
class that’s too large.
Romney also has fully embraced
Rep. Paul Ryan’s dream-killing budget. “The Romney-Ryan budget is like
a valentine to the richest one percent and a ‘Dear John’ letter to the
rest of America,” said Van Roekel. “The Romney-Ryan budget would cause
real pain to most working Americans. The Ryan budget would push 2
million kids out of Head Start and slash Pell grants for more than 9
million students seeking a college education. Romney’s policies aren’t
about jobs and kids—they’re about killing the American dream.”
“Attacking
educators and unions like NEA with gross exaggerations about its
political muscle and with divide and conquer tactics is a distraction
from frank discussions about Mitt Romney's education record
as governor
of Massachusetts and his full embrace of the Ryan-Romney dream-killing
budget. We simply can’t afford to put the future of our students
and
our country in Mitt Romney's hands,” concluded Van Roekel.
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia
# # #
The
National Education Association is the nation's largest professional
employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and
secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support
professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students
preparing to become teachers.
Democratic
National
Committee
Obama
for America
After the speech, Obama for America held a conference call with press
secretary Ben LaBolt and policy director James Kvaal. Excerpts:
Ben
LaBolt,
Press Secretary:"...Mitt Romney gave a vague, detail-free
speech this morning on education and confirmed, as if there was any
doubt, just how far back he'd take us. He wants to apply "Romney
Economics" to education. That's the last thing we need. As
we've seen throughout Mitt Romney's career in both the private and
public sectors, Romney Economics is all about the short term, helping
the wealthiest prosper by any means necessary even if that means
undermining workers, middle class families and students. Romney
economics is unconcerned with long-term growth, competitiveness or an
economy that's built to last. The problem of course is that long
term success is exactly what education is all about. Romney has
stifled investment in our children's education. His policies hurt
our ability to educate our kids and prepare them for good jobs.
"We’ve
already
seen
what
Romney
Economics meant for students at every level of
their education. Mitt Romney might not want to talk about his
lackluster record in Massachusetts, but it’s an important window into
what he would bring to
the White House. Let’s start with K-12 education. By his second
year as
governor, Romney had already forced Massachusetts schools to take the
second largest cuts per pupil in the country. Those cuts forced
school
districts to lay off thousands of teachers
along with librarians and even police officers, 14,500 in all.
Not
exactly the record of the job creator. When he got elected he
tried to
cut funding for early literacy in kindergarten programs, vetoed a bill
to create universal pre-k in Massachusetts and
questioned the value for early education. As governor he vetoed
programs that would have helped reduce class sizes in the earliest
grades
where individual attention is the most important. Romney still
believes
against all evidence that smaller class sizes are
harmful. None of this helps students in Massachusetts get ready
for
college and the workforce."
He went on to talk about Romney's record on higher education...
James
Kvaal, Policy Director:
“Mitt Romney today outlined a very different set of
proposals. As a reminder, his budget would make big cuts in the things
we need to invest in our future, including education. He’s proposed
some $5 trillion in tax cuts above and beyond the cost of extending the
Bush tax cuts. And those tax cuts are slanted
to the wealthiest Americans and big corporations. He has told his
donors that he would merge or dramatically downsize the Department of
Education, and he supports the House Republican budget offered by Paul
Ryan that would require cuts in domestic spending,
including education, by almost 20%. Think of what we’ve learned today,
the most troubling aspect was his proposal to stop the clock on decades
of reform by no longer insisting that action be taken when a school is
struggling, and struggling for years. Instead
he would return to the days when failing schools were tolerated for
year after year. His proposal – his only proposal in this area is to
create school report cards. But it’s not clear how those reports cards
are different from the school report cards that
are already required by federal law. Moreover, while President Obama
strongly supports transparency and has proposed steps to expand
transparency, that alone is not going to improve our schools who need
tools to help failing schools improve. Governor Romney
has also proposed steps to expand school choice. President Obama has
also worked to expand school choice, in his case, in public schools. In
fact Race to the Top, encouraged states to lift caps on charter schools
and expanded and strengthened charter schools
in many states. Governor Romney’s proposal also appears to be open to
private schools voucher, however, which is troubling because we know
from experience that private school vouchers have failed to raise
achievement and they drain resources from the public
schools that serve the vast majority of children."