Romney: Give Parents More Say In Education

Republican Hopeful Downplays Endorsements Received By McCain, Giuliani

(AP)  Parents who home school their children should get a tax credit to help offset the expense of teaching, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday.

"I also believe parents who are teaching their kids at home, homeschoolers, deserve a break, and I've asked for a tax credit to help parents in their homes with the cost of being an at-home teacher," he said.

Romney supports giving parents more educational options, through charter schools or vouchers, but he said legislation should be done on a state level.

"I really hesitate to have the federal government become too involved in local schools," he said.

Romney also said teachers are underpaid and better teachers should be rewarded with more money.

"I'd like to see there be a relationship between the pay of the teacher and their performance, their career track, their ability to mentor other students," Romney told more than 100 people at a children's museum in this early voting state. "We need to treat teachers like the professionals they are and not like people manufacturing widgets on an assembly line."

Romney downplayed the news that rival Rudy Giuliani had won the endorsement of televangelist Pat Robertson, touting his own endorsement from Bob Jones University chancellor Bob Jones III instead. The Christian fundamentalist school is located in conservative northwest South Carolina.

"I can't get all the social conservatives to endorse my candidacy," Romney told reporters. "I'm really pleased with the support I've got. The people who have the ultimate say are the voters."

Romney also said he was not surprised that former rival Sam Brownback threw his support behind colleague John McCain on Wednesday.

They "have worked together in the Senate for a long time and that's probably to be expected," he said.

On teacher pay, Romney said each state should decide the compensation. He said as governor, he pushed for a $15,000 bonus package for the best teachers in Massachusetts, including $5,000 bonuses for math and science teachers and $5,000 bonuses for teachers deemed in the top third of a school.

[hawksprings]

Nice idea Mitt, but the NEA will never allow this.
Parents are too stupid to be having more influence and control over the education of their children.

The NEA believes parents should have less involvement with their children''s education, not more. That gives them more time to teach kids how to use condomss and such.

[gkc99]

"homeschoolers, deserve a break, and I''ve asked for a tax credit to help parents in their homes with the cost of being an at-home teacher," he said. "

And why should my tax dollars go to support making some kids stupid and ignorant with fairy stories about the "leaves of gold" and magic salamanders?

[poopbreath]

Get rid of the Department of Education. The schools are called "public" schools, but the public has no control. Ron Paul has the best solution. Vote Ron Paul for President.

[rowdytexan2]

Romney needs to get real!

Parents have a say in their child''s education already. What a bunch of ***! There is a wonderful education to be had in our public schools. Many children are just not taught the value of it and to take advantage of it. It''s not the school''s fault...it''s bad parents!

Home schooling children is a choice you make...it should not get you out of the obligation of supporting your local schools. I don''t have ANY children at home, yet I pay my taxes. That''s like saying I have no fires so I shouldn''t have to support the fire department, I should get a tax credit for that.

With a tax credit you will have ever high school drop out mother keeping their kids from school to get the tax credit. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Home schooling is great if you''re dedicated to it, and use the programs that help you get the curriculum you need. But after the basics your children need advanced education.

I was a teacher for many years. I was held to performance and if my students weren''t up to par I had to answer for it. I was well rewarded for it. Plus I had summer''s off to be with my children.

The republicans will mouth off any anything that looks like a tax reducation and call themselves conservative. It NEVER is. I have NEVER seen taxes lowered, be it a democrat or a republican in the administration. ANY time a politician says I will lower taxes, they might put in your front pocket a dime or two, but then they hike it back out of the back one.

[homespunlady]

Having chosen to homeschool my youngest child and facing the loss of income that entailed it would have been nice to have had some help with the expenses but a "tax credit" would have been a worthless waste in my circumstances just as the "energy improvement" tax credit was and George''s "health plan credit" would have been.

I''d have preferred a good low-cost flexible curriculum with help from the school system instead.

If you DON''T OWE taxes what good is a "credit" to "lower" them??

Wealthier parents can afford Private school and use vehicles like "education accounts" to wrangle tax benefits.

So, with that in mind, PLEASE rethink your idea and MAYBE as some states are doing, make more resources available for alternative/homeschool options which makes MUCH MORE sense.

[homespunlady]

Homeschooling is a CHOICE and there is AS MUCH variety in that choice as there is in choosing a neighborhood and public school to attend. It''s NOT for everyone but is the correct choice for some just as Public and Private schools are right for others.

Hybridizing education to meet the individual needs of a child is both more efficient and cost effective in the long run.

Colorado, Missouri and several other states have realized that and have begun offering "distance learning" programs for home-schoolers but COST keeps coming up as it''s considered an "additional expense" not part of an overall continuum.

Cookie cutter factory style teaching isn''t for everyone and this nation has lost a lot of exceptional potential leaders trying to force those "square pegs" into the "round hole" of standardization.

Encouraging and FUNDING innovation sounds better to me.

I didn''t mind the sacrifice I made. My children (Public, Private and home-schooled) have become people I''m very proud of. Each child was educated differently but it fit their needs and that''s what counts.

[homespunlady]

Posted by TopProphet at 11:26 PM : Nov 07, 2007

I like Paul''s platform but a huge unreadable block if stuff that''s NOT relevant to this topic is a waste of your efforts.

Try shorter more relevant posts and advertising in Other mediums.
I like counting candidate bumper-stickers to measure interest.

[chucktruck2]

Mitt and Ann shop Christmas early,because of Mitt''s perfect storm on the horizon. Romney is leading in the first five states.And because Rudy scrathed on that 8 ball Pat Robertson ,Mitt expects a bump in the polls.MSM mistakenly showed Rudy''s under belly to soon , with national voters just tuning in,this will hurt Hillary''s chances of winning the general election. A vote for Rudy is a vote for Hillary. Home schoolers need Mitt''s help.

[chucktruck2]

Home schooled children know of Rudy''s soft under belly.Rudy is : proabortion , progay , antigun , antifamily , and he is on the wrong side of the fence . Do the math and call me later .These kids can spot : bigots , liars, and forked tongues ." Evangelicals for Mitt " .Go to a source.... or not....

[antoniof123]

I love these nut case neocons, they haven''t got a clue yes, Mitt you are rich and can afford a private school or tutor for your kids who are supporting the war effort by helping a draft dodger father get elected (send them to Iraq). But the majority of Americans see through the neocon mantra of lower taxes what it really means is lower taxes for the rich and more fees for the middle.

My property taxes have increased to a level that I can barely afford them but to you and your rich buddies an extra 1,000 dollars a year in property taxes is offset by the 1,000,000 tax savings you get. Most Americans saved less the 300 per year. Please tell me where our taxes have decreased.

GOP = greed over principle

[tucano2]

MR. Romney has it wrong. Parents have the power. Unfortunately parents do not use their power as they simply do not care and/or have no time and/or are too ignorant about the power in their hands if they''d only use it.

[topprophet]

What we need is a President who will show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50+ years. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of the Middle-East, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas of Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. He''s an intellectual who''s published four books, three of which are devoted entirely to sound economics and one to foreign policy. He was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania as a pious Lutheran, but now he attends a Baptist church. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. Whenever he recollects the helicopter pilots he treated as an Air Force Flight Surgeon (Captain) during the Vietnam War, a war which he now says was "totally unnecessary and illegal," he laments, "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and proven track record of adherance to The Constitution, Congressman Paul has always demonstrated only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky.

[topprophet]

I support Ron Paul and his non-interventionist foreign policy. All of the other candidates wants to continue our illegal police action in Iraq indefinitely, and they do not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Ron Paul voted against our (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. The war in Iraq has cost more than 3,500 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We need a leader in the White House who will ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal aliens who are invading our country from the South. No war should ever be fought without a Declaration of War voted upon by the Congress, as required by The Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we too become despised.

[topprophet]

Ron Paul can win the GOP nomination. If he does, I predict a landslide victory in November of 2008. Even the oddsmakers in Vegas aren''t willing to discount his chances. They''re currently giving him 3:1 odds to win against Hitlery if he gets the nomination. Romney, McCain and the globalist, sell-out Giuliani aren''t given anything better than a 35:1 chance of winning if they get the GOP nod. All it takes is for formerly apathetic individuals to get off the couch and nominate him in their local Republican primary or caucus process. Political parties are nothing more than tools. Those who read the manual and use the tools properly will win the nomination for their candidate. For the past 20 years, many good people have stayed at home and accepted whatever candidate they let others select for them. This year, those people are learning how to use their vote to bring about positive and long overdue political change in this country. To make a difference, you must participate in the Republican primary election or caucus process in your county, precinct or district. Nothing else matters. If we do this, we win. If not, we lose. The GOP has been suffering from declining participation for decades. Fewer than 10% of registered voters have ALL the power because they actually participate. Now the remaining 90% must surge to use their vote as a tool for bringing about positive change to our country. The time to act is now. The time for political revolution has come. The time for Ron Paul is NOW!

[topprophet]

Most intelligent people can see right through CBS News'' bias against Ron Paul. "What about their polls?", you ask? As someone who''s been in the business, I know you can make a poll result look anyway you want. CBS News doesn''t even put him on the list of GOP candidates that pollees can choose from. Then they report he scores "0%" in their tally. You can see the man has support. He''s won ALL of the viewer call-in polls in ALL of the GOP debates he''s been in. People everywhere are in the street, and on the Net, supporting him like no other. And his campaign chest is growing daily, and not from huge corporate donations like the other GOP and Democratic party candidates get from defense contractors and bankers, but from grass root supporters who give what little they can afford--$5, $10, whatever. This is a 21st Century political revolution, my friends, and the Oligarchs or on the defensive. Ignore what the media network giants like CBS tell you. They sold-out to the status quo decades ago. This man has some major grass roots support across this country. Millions of Americans believe he is our only hope to restore peace, prosperity and freedom in this country. Presidential candidates with the personal integrity and proven track record of adherance to The Constitution Congressman, Paul has always demonstrated only come around only once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky. The stakes are too high. The cause of freedom is too important. Get off your couch, put the remote down and support Ron Paul!

[klingon69]

And why should my tax dollars go to support making some kids stupid and ignorant with fairy stories about the "leaves of gold" and magic salamanders?
Posted by gkc99 at 06:44 PM : Nov 07, 2007
Probably the same reason my property tax and income tax dollars go to educate you brats in public school. Homeschoolers not only have to pay for ALL their materials out of pocket, they also have to pay taxes to support the public school system.
Not only that, but since schools get thousands of dollars per student per year, they fight against homeschoolers. Don''t try to enroll a homeschooled child into public school, they don''t want them, becasue a homeschooled child was taught sans politically correct materials. Public school students learn just what is needed to pass the standardized tests, homeschooled students get a more rounded education, it has NOTHING to do with leave of gold or holy salamanders.