I support local control in schools that will allow principals, teachers, parents and students to shape both their curriculum and overall educational goals and objectives to fit the specific needs of each individual school.
And furthermore, the allocation of 80% of school funding distributed at the school level not only allows schools the administrative power but also the fiscal power to improve the quality of education for their students.
A one-size-fits-all education plan does not work in a state as diverse as Nevada.
Because a student in Las Vegas might face different long-term career needs than a student in Moapa Valley, we need education professionals to craft curriculums that will help the unique challenges faced by students in their local counties.
I value strategies that focus on outdoor education while also exposing students to opportunities in any local industries that show potential for growth in Nevada.
For example, I support science classes that teach students about how we are connected to nature. I also support a flexible educational system that allows students to explore their individual interests and talents.
When I was in the 11th grade, I discovered a love for culinary arts. I believe I owe this in large part to the fact that there were educational options outside the traditional “math-science-English box” available to me in central Connecticut.
We cannot blindly copy what others have done—We must be innovative with our educational approaches. This means not letting test results be the only standard we use when developing curriculum.
We need to also apply these innovative values at the university level.
The entire reason my business exists today was because a University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) professor encouraged me to think outside the box.
As governor, I would not promote standardized testing as the “be all end all” in our schools. Testing is at least a $15 billion-a-year industry, which is a stunning amount when you consider our nation’s most popular sports league – the National Football League – generates $13 billion in revenues a year.
I’m not interested in standardizing students through these tests because each student is fundamentally unique and has different skill sets.
When our teachers are empowered to value what our students’ value, then that’s when the learning can start. Whatever is important to our kids should be what’s important to our schools.
