>>> Today, Ohio Gov. John Kasich made it clear that he had something on his mind.
Dispatch:
Gov. John Kasich said today there is a “need to bring about some deregulation” to Ohio schools, perhaps providing the strongest hint yet as to how he might achieve his goal of getting the business community more involved with educating children....
....Kasich could propose a host of ways to deregulate schools, according to education insiders, such as removing state rules for class sizes and personnel and leaving those to the discretion of local boards. Kasich could propose easing licensing requirements for teachers to make it easier for business professionals to come into classrooms and teach, or establish some sort of formal tie between the state Board of Education and the business community so that business leaders could have a more direct influence on curriculum.
John Charlton, a spokesman for Ross, said “those are the kinds of things that may come up” in discussions between Kasich and Ross, but “they have not specifically spelled out everything.”
Right. This is another attack on public education. How much more money will Kasich give to charter schools? Charter schools, especially those owned by corporations, are primarily interested in making profits--- not in educating children. Look at how many stories we've heard where charter schools close up, children are locked out, and the owners are gone with the money. It has become an epidemic in Ohio. Our tax dollars have been used to boost up charter school owners, who then in turn contribute large sums of money to Republican candidates. Children lose out.
A paper on deregulating education was published by Policy Matters Ohio (Link). It would take away public input and allow corporations to control access to education. Once again we see Kasich and his contributors pushing for changes that will hurt our state, communities, children, and teachers.
ALEC, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, and the Koch Brothers have had deregulating education on their agenda for several years. The only way to stop the takeover of education in Ohio is to deny John Kasich a second term. Support and vote for Democrat Ed FitzGerald to guarantee your child's right to a public education controlled by and supported by parents and communities--- not corporations.
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* At various times in our lives my husband and I have worked at jobs that paid us the minimum wage. It was impossible to survive on it then, and it is ridiculous to think that someone can survive making the minimum wage. The minimum wage has not kept up with inflation and it is time to do something.
HuffingtonPost:
A new HuffPost/YouGov poll found that 62 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, while 26 percent are opposed....
Most of the opposition on raising the minimum wage comes from Republicans and their puppetmasters (the Kochs, big business, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, and right wing think tanks/talking heads).
This is America! We can and must do better. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10/hr is a first step!
