Jeff Cannon Call Jeff Cannon at 336-846-6425 Email: JeffCan542@skybest.com Other: www.lpnc.org Send Contributions and offers to volunteer to: Elect Jeff Cannon 303 Bare Ave West Jefferson, NC 28694

The current system of education is failing. The North Carolina State Government's solution is to spend more money and require even more extensive end of grade testing. My oldest son's teachers tell me that the state requires them to assign at least two hours of homework every night, not so much to teach the students anything, but to help keep them busy and out of trouble. His teachers spend three fourths of the entire year drilling the students on the end-of-the-year state testing method. This is not educating our children.

This is why I oppose the entire system of 'Public' schools that are run by the government. Public schools have been given the task of providing our children with a good education. More often than not, they don't. Each year public schools graduate more and more students that are unable to read, write or do basic math. Our children's talents are wasted because we continue to trust politicians to do this important job. Politicians have had decades to fix these problems, and spent BILLIONS of dollars, and yet, the problems persist.

In recent years, government involvement in education has grown rapidly. At the same time, studies have shown that test scores have shown no noticable improvement. Throwing more money or more regulations at the problem will not fix it. It just adds complexity and stress to an already ineffective system. The best way to end the crisis in education is to deal with the biggest problem - government involvement. Politicians do not make good teachers. They should not be dictating curriculum or teaching methodology. Leave education to the educators.

To transfer control of our children's education from bureaucrats to parents and educators, I propose the following changes:

1) Support a true market in education - one in which parents and students would not be stuck with a bad local school because they could choose another.

2) Implement measures such as tax credits so that parents will have the financial ability to choose among schools.

3) Provide financial incentives to businesses to help fund schools and individuals to support students other than their own children.

4) Eliminate the Department of Education, which spends billions on education and educates no one.

The only way we will ever improve the education of our children is to get the government out of the classrooms.