In order to compete in a world economy that is increasingly knowledge based, we need an educational system that guarantees minimum levels of competency for all students no matter where they may live. Finally, the Republican platform is silent on the issue of school construction, while the Democratic Party platform calls for programs to help rebuild the nation's aging public school plant. This is an especially important issue in the IP's home state of California, where decades of neglect following the passage of Proposition 13 has left us with a crumbling public infrastructure. Many of our public schools are in a sorry physical state owing to years of deferred maintenance. Leaking roofs and lack of air conditioning are now becoming the norm rather than the exception.
Many classrooms lack even the most basic instrument of technology - the telephone.
Teachers often must pay for basic classroom supplies from their own meager salaries. The Irascible Professor invites your comments . All rights reserved.