Gail Lightfoot on Education

	Gail Lightfoot on Education 2000 Libertarian Challenger for Senate (CA)

Abolish the federal Department of Education

The current K-12 educational system is fundamentally flawed because it is based on what is essentially a socialist model. But the federal government can at least try to avoid making the problems worse. To that end, here are some steps Congress can take:

Get the federal government out of the business of financing and subsidizing schools at all levels. "Free" money is never free--it just encourages state and local educational bureaucracies to spend money less efficiently.
Subsidizing failure makes it harder for alternative providers who could produce better results to develop and grow.
Abolish the Department of Education. This bureaucracy educates nobody, and just makes it more difficult for meaningful changes to be accomplished at the state or local level.

End all federal sponsorship/endorsement of curricula, standards, and text books. These can be better developed and promulgated by private groups, left free to try different approaches. Source: 2024 Senate campaign website lightfoot.VoteLibertarian.us , Feb 2, 2024

College loans hook students on borrowing, like drug pushers

Get the federal government out of the business of providing or guaranteeing student loans. Through these programs the federal government has, very much in the manner of a drug pusher, gotten both college students and colleges hooked on borrowing that leads to poor choices. Source: 2024 Senate campaign website lightfoot.VoteLibertarian.us , Feb 2, 2024

STEM education is important for science advancement

Q: How important do you think education and training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is to U.S. competitiveness and our future economic prosperity?

Lightfoot selected, "Very important."

Lightfoot added, "Rapid advancement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics mean a greater understanding of the same will be needed by individuals in the future. Keeping up will be a challenge that our young people will embrace naturally, given the opportunity."

Source: Your Candidates Your Health profile: 2012 CA Senate debates , Jun 15, 2012

Public schools must be NEUTRAL on religion & prayer

Q: Do you support or oppose teacher-led prayer in public schools?

A: NO. Not all taxpayers want children to pray. Since taxpayers must fund public schools, the schools must be NEUTRAL as to religion and many other things that a private school can teach or endorse. Oppose government schools and prayer in any that exist.

Source: Email interview on 2010 Senate race with OnTheIssues.org , Jul 10, 2010

Vouchers are interim until all government schools closed

Q: Do you support or oppose parents choosing schools via vouchers?

A: YES. There are better ways to encourage life long learning. Those parents who know this need to be able to choose the school (education model) that best suits them and their child's learning style. We need flexibility in education to meet the needs of each individual learner. Support vouchers as an interim measure to closing all government schools.

Source: Email interview on 2010 Senate race with OnTheIssues.org , Jul 10, 2010

Supports parents choosing schools via vouchers

I favor a complete separation of School and State just as the 1st Amendment separates with Church and State. I only favor vouchers with NO strings attached. It is far better to give tax credits to parents, individuals or a business who pays tuition for any student(s). Source: Email interview on 2000 Senate race with Issues2000.org , Oct 16, 2000

Supports Organized Prayer In Public Schools

Students will and should be allowed to pray in school. Other students will and should be allowed to respectfully decline to participate. Source: Email interview on 2000 Senate race with Issues2000.org , Oct 16, 2000

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*Other candidates on Education:*		*Gail Lightfoot on other issues:*
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