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April 30, 2004
Haines to Host Education Forum
Haines to Hold Public Education Forum Athens – April 29 – Doug Haines, candidate for Congress in Georgia’s 12th District, announced today that he will host a forum on public education in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Week. “Teachers are one of the most important parts of our communities’ social infrastructure, and it is vitally important that their voice be heard in Washington, DC,” Haines commented. “I’ve fought for public education in the State Senate, and I will take that fight to Congress.” At the forum, Haines will listen to concerns from teachers, administrators, students, and parents. He will also discuss his ideas for improving public education in the 12th District. As a State Senator, Doug Haines was instrumental in writing and passing numerous pieces of legislation concerning public education. Haines worked to secure a pilot program for the Georgia Early Learning Initiative in the Athens area, and fought to secure funding to hire new teachers in the state. As a public interest lawyer, Haines successfully sued the state of Georgia to require the government to remove lead from the drinking water in schools and daycares. The forum will be held at the Athens-Clarke County Public Library on Wednesday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Haines Campaign's Athens office at 706-355-3200.April 30, 2004 in Education | Permalink
Comments
Doug was incredible at the Education Forum ! He was not simply up there telling us what he wanted to do, he gave us his ideas and then asked for our suggestions. We had a great discussion on the state of public education in this country, and I now know Doug is the right man for the job. I will be voting for Doug Haines this July!
Posted by: Max Power at May 6, 2004 2:21:12 PM
I saw the thing in my e-mail about this today. Beyond hearing him briefly on WUOG I am most unfamiliar with Haines (I do not pay enough to local politics, tho am a slight political junkie). I see what he disagrees with, and agree No Child is likely a sly move to undermine an already challenged educational system. Still, would like to see not just what he disagrees whith, but what he would do to counter this.
Will be looking out for Haines as the election nears...
Posted by: Chris at May 6, 2004 5:46:24 PM
Chris--
Take a look at the "Better Deal" as it relates to education. Doug actually has a pretty proactive plan for the future to stop pulling money out of our schools that need it the most and to offer incentives for veteran teachers to encourage them to stay in schools with difficulties. If you have any questions, you should try to drop Doug an email--his address is on the site (http://www.hainesforcongress.com)
I hope you agree with me that Doug is the best candidate to unseat Max in the fall.
--Marcus
Posted by: Marcus at May 6, 2004 8:30:22 PM
Does Doug want to fully fund No Child Left Behind ?
Posted by: William at May 6, 2004 9:05:13 PM
The way I understand it, not exactly--and dont quote me on this, you'll have to ask Doug. The way I read it--Doug thinks that if we're going to institute something on the federal level like NCLB, we shouldnt expect local systems to foot the bill. However--it looks like Doug has a beef with NCLB because of the way that it forces a "one-size fits all" education structure on schools. In the forum he brought up examples of two local elementaries (Barrow and one other, forgive my memory,) that despite their relative proximity, are completely different in demographic makeup, etc--if two schools that close are so different, how can a single set of standards for the nation be accurate?
Also, I think that Doug takes issue with the way the bill defines and then treats "failing schools." Some of the best schools in the district will soon be labeled as "failing" because of NCLB's arbitrary standards. Also, once a school is "failing" according to NCLB, funding is cut and privleges are revoked. Thats not the way to fix an ailing school, is it?
Someone in the audience at the forum brought up a really good point. They said that, essentially, NCLB prevents teachers from doing their job--it doesnt let them think and use their knowledge to determine what is best for the students.
Sorry, I tend to get off on a rant when we come to NCLB, because education is one of my pet issues, I hope I answered your question to the best of my interpretation. Hopefully someone who knows more than me will hop on and correct me if need be.
SHORT ANSWER:
If theres no way out of NCLB, then we absolutely need to fully fund its mandates. However, the bill is horridly flawed and is simply setting schools up to fail so conservatives can push the
"failing public schools" agenda and move to a voucher system. Doug will introduce legislation that will accomplish the true goals of NCLB without hurting the people its supposed to help: students and teachers.
--Marcus
Posted by: Marcus Owens at May 7, 2004 12:22:23 AM
To Chris: You're absolutely right. It isn't enough to attack the Republicans (although there is plenty there to attack.) You also have to have ideas of your own to create a real change in Washington, DC.
I've never taught a class, I've never had to try to teach in the face of NCLB. It's important to me that I hear from the people who do this every day.
Rather than go into detail about my proposals here, I'll point you to my education platform, at this link: http://www.hainesforcongress.com/issues/btr_deal/education.htm
To William: I oppose NCLB, and I'm going to go to Congress and fight to repeal it. If we're going to make the changes we need in education in America, we've got to sit down with the same people I sat down with Wednesday night - teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and students. I'm pretty sure that they know more about what our public schools need than Bush and his cronies.
I know not everyone in Washington, DC will agree with me on this. I'm going to work as hard as I can to show people from both parties that there is a Better Deal out there, if we put our minds to it.
Posted by: Doug Haines at May 7, 2004 10:36:36 AM