Meghan McNulty
America is great because everyone gets an opportunity to succeed, but the opportunity for a good education remains elusive for nearly half of California’s students. California has one of the highest income tax rates, highest sales tax and highest gasoline tax yet they rank as the least educated state in the entire country, despite record levels of educational spending. If you aren’t alarmed or paying attention to these statistics, you should be!
The LA Times reported in October that more than half of California students cannot read, do math, and write at their grade level. California is now one of the lowest states for educational achievement, yet spent a record $9,417 per year on each student. It is unacceptable that left-wing leaders in Sacramento spend billions of our hard-earned tax dollars each year, and still allow over half the kids in school to fail at basic, nationwide educational standards.
California is home to some of the most innovative and prosperous industries in the nation, yet our education system for the state’s youth does not work. Students in California test far behind other states in America and countries across the globe. California’s leadership has unsuccessfully implemented and executed a plan to change these abysmal statistics and situations.
California’s progressive bureaucrats pride themselves on a state of equality for all, but recent events like the burgeoning homeless crisis have revealed more than just scuffs on the Golden State’s once-clean surface. Now, despite record levels of wealth in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, the state’s income redistributing bureaucrats have created another crisis of even more desperate proportions.
Democrats make the argument that they need to spend even more money, when in reality they just need to spend it more wisely. Public sector unions like the CTA spend millions each year to elect Democrats into office, and in turn they allow the unions to spend more money on pensions and administrators and less in the classroom.
How is that states like New Hampshire rank third in the country for educational standards, but are not as prosperous as California? We have the highest taxes in the country and get the worst results, and it’s time to rethink this and make school more about the students it is serving.
The exact solution may be up for debate, but we know that it is unacceptable to let half of our students graduate without the basic skills to survive in a modern global society. California is home to Silicon Valley and Hollywood, who pride themselves on innovation, creativity, solutions, storytelling and being world leaders. Yet the students in their state are literally failing at their grade levels.
People who aren’t educated won’t be prepared for the global world. California’s so-called leaders are continuing to make its citizens even more dependent on their government for survival. California residents should fire their leaders at the ballot box and give opportunity back to our students for a meaningful education that will prepare them for life.
