Richardson Unveils Education plan
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) –Democratic presidential candidate
Bill Richardson unveiled his education plan Thursday at Manchester West high school.
Describing the current education system as “broken,” the New Mexico Governor called
for an end to the No Child Left Behind policy, an increase in teacher salaries
and a commitment to arts in schools.
Characterizing his plan as “bold and comprehensive,” he admitted it could
not be done on the cheap but noted, “Unlike the timid plans of others, mine
is a $60 billion investment in our nation’s future.”
When asked by a senior student where the money would come from to encourage
pre-kindergarten education, the governor said, “I’m ready to put the money
into education because I think that’s the foundation of how we can deal with
poverty, competitiveness, family, values, family reunification, how we can
create higher paying jobs and better citizens.”
Some students seemed disconnected from the points Richardson was trying to make.
One girl said she didn’t understand the governor’s use of the word “earmark”
and would have to look it up later.
–CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla
If a high school student does not understand the word "earmark", it just proves our educational system is broken. No child left behind only teaches to a test and does not measure what a child has truly been taught. We will not get a better educational system without better paid teachers. We as American citizens have a responsibility to provide not just an adequate but excellent education to our children. Adequate has been accepted too long.
Is it just me, or did Richardson NOT answer the simple question of where the money would come from???
Great stuff.
Actually, Alison, he did- he'd cut about 60 Billion dollars worth of obsolete cold war weapons systems from the defense budget. Maybe instead of relying on a short CNN re-cap you should go to Richardson's website and do your own research.