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This fall, voters in thirty-seven states selected a new governor and those in the District of Columbia elected a new mayor.  In nineteen of those states, the incumbent was not eligible or not seeking another term, paving the way for sweeping change in the political landscape.  Education has, in some cases, taken a backseat to the economy, but has continued to play a prominent role in many gubernatorial platforms.

The following statements are excerpts taken directly from  a candidate's campaign website or the education statement on his or her website.  NBPTS is a non-partisan organization that does not endorse political candidates.  The information provided here does not represent an endorsement by NBPTS.

Alabama [top]

(R) Governor Robert Bentley

Excerpt from the full education statement from Robert Bentley:

As a State Representative I have given every teacher in every classroom in my district $100 for simple classroom supplies like paper and pencils. As Governor, I will work to ensure that every teacher across Alabama has adequate supplies and state-of-the-art technology to nurture and teach their students in manageable classroom sizes.
I also will propose pilot programs to evaluate the best ways to provide schools with bonuses for improving student classroom performance.  By focusing on school improvement instead of measuring each individual teacher, we will encourage all teachers to work together to improve their school performance, instead of competing against each other.  Additionally, rewarding schools instead of individual teachers is more appropriate because many students will have more than one teacher, and there is no way to measure how much any single teacher contributes to a single student's or school's improved academic performance.
  

Alaska [top]

(R) Governor Sean Parnell

Excerpt from Sean Parnell's website:

The next generation of Alaskan leaders needs the best education possible so they can be ready for work the day they graduate. As parents, Governor Parnell and Mead Treadwell are committed to innovative and creative education for our students. The Alaska Performance Scholarship creates new incentives for Alaska’s students to challenges themselves. By taking a more rigorous curriculum than what is required to graduate high school, Alaska’s students can receive scholarships to Alaska universities of certified job training programs. And, this past year, Governor Parnell successfully forward-funded K-12 public education.

Arizona [top]

(R) Governor Jan Brewer

Excerpt from the full education policy statement on Jan Brewer's website:

In the last year, we have made incredible progress on laying the foundation for improving academic performance at our schools.  This progress was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Along with 18 other states, Arizona was named as a finalist in the second round of the Race to the Top competition as one of the top education reform states. Arizona's Race to the Top plan is our roadmap for education reform whether or not we get the federal monies.
Arizona’s education reform plan focuses on three key areas.

1. Implementing of tougher academic standards and testing tied to those standards. 
2. Improving the quality of information parents receive about their schools to help them to make more informed decisions. 
3. Rewarding good teachers and principals through our new evaluation systems.

Arkansas [top]

(D) Governor Mike Beebe

Excerpt from Mike Beebe's full education statement:

As a father, Governor Beebe understands what many moms and dads around Arkansas know: smaller class sizes, strong teachers, and committed parents are crucial in giving a child an excellent education. That’s why Mike has made record investments in Arkansas’s public schools and the State’s college and university system, including four-year and two-year institutions. This investment goes toward modernizing classrooms and expanding the opportunity for higher education. It provides the platform our people need for jobs in the global economy.
   

California [top]

(D) Governor Jerry Brown

Excerpt from Jerry Brown's full education statement.

Teachers are the most important resource for school improvement, but California has not devised a comprehensive and effective policy to recruit and prepare teachers. Currently, the principal elements of teacher effectiveness – college training, practice teaching, mentoring in the early years of teaching, professional development, evaluation and compensation-- are disjointed and unconnected to each other.

Many of the so-called reform efforts focus on either the very worst teachers (and how to get rid of them) or the very best teachers (and how to provide them bonuses and special compensation). Certainly we need to weed out the bad teachers and incentivize better and more creative teaching. However, the biggest challenge facing California education is improving the performance of the average teacher. It is this group— in most instances-- who educates our children and it is they who need both more preparation and better support.

Colorado [top]

(D) Governor John Hickenlooper

Excerpt from former Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's full education policy statement:

Effective Teachers & Principals:

We want the best and the brightest educators in our classrooms and running our schools, and that means supporting creative and high-quality teaching practices and encouraging strong leadership in our schools. We should encourage new forms of teacher and principal compensation that are developed collaboratively and locally and with sustainable sources of funding to attract and retain a top notch, effective education workforce. To support the development of effective teachers and principals, we should: 

• Build on partnerships with parents and develop more integrated approaches to families and schools to foster better student outcomes.
• Support both higher education and alternative teacher and administrator preparation programs.
• Support rating and rewarding leadership programs that produce high performing leaders for the schools in Colorado that are in the most need.
• Encourage businesses to provide financial incentives to Colorado educators through innovative public-private partnerships.
• Work closely with our teachers, principals, state legislature and local school districts to build on the work that has begun on "teacher effectiveness" and ensure that implementation of new legislation is successful.
• We must ensure that our programs and requirements for educator preparation and professional development meet the needs of 21st Century students and classrooms.

Connecticut [top]

(D) Governor Dan Malloy

Excerpt from Dan Malloy's full education policy statement:

Today, our schools are faced with the challenge of preparing students for an increasingly complex world. Overcoming this challenge will require innovation and collaboration among educational professionals. It will require us to rethink ways that our schools can meet these challenges.

As Governor, my administration will recognize the increasing pressures placed on classroom teachers and school administrators who are asked to do more with less. It would recognize the increasing concerns of parents that with too heavy an emphasis on testing (resulting from the No Child Left Behind -- NCLB -- law), we risk too many needs of our children falling through the cracks. But it would also balance those concerns with a look across the country, where high quality, standards-based assessments are an integral part of any state effort to improve schools. These tests are a means to an end, not the end itself. These test results provide crucial data without which we cannot identify achievement gaps, point to success stories, or direct resources to schools that need them and reform efforts that will work.

So the answer is not to stop using these tests to measure student achievement, but rather to start doing a whole lot of other things based on the information that these tests provide us--and that's exactly the direction that the Obama administration is seeking to go, both with the Race to the Top competition, and with their proposals for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (previously known as NCLB).

District of Columbia [top]

(D) Mayor Vincent C. Gray

Excerpt from Vincent Gray's full education policy statement:

Our teachers are on the front-line every day, making sure that our children are prepared for life after school.  We need to both respect our teachers and hold them accountable.  It’s time that they are held accountable for their work in the classroom, and treated with the respect they deserve.  The new teachers’ contract provides an excellent opportunity to instill a new era of accountability, meritocracy, and collaboration.  As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

• Recognize and reward high-performing teachers; remove low-performing teachers from the system.  He will work with our chancellor and teachers to ensure that the pay for performance negotiated in the new teachers’ contract is developed and implemented in a way that results in success for our students.
• Move swiftly to implement the independent evaluation of the current IMPACT evaluation system as required in the new teachers’ contract.
• Ensure that we have a fair and research-based evaluation system that holds our teachers accountable but also provides multiple strategies for assessing student growth (e.g., teacher portfolios) and teacher effectiveness.
• Use student achievement as a component of teacher evaluation in a way that holds all stakeholders accountable.
• Ensure that all schools have equity in resources based on fully developing the certified classroom effort referenced in the new teachers’ contract.
• Provide high quality and job-embedded professional development to ensure that our children are being taught by highly trained and effective teachers.
• Work with our chancellor and the union to fully implement the new teacher induction program, referred to in the new teachers’ contract, to ensure our new teachers have the support they need to be effective, and want to remain as teachers in our school system.

Florida [top]

(R) Governor Rick Scott

Excerpt from Rick Scott's full education policy statement: 

Student performance should be measured and a cause/effect analysis relating teacher quality and other demographic conditions should be used to evaluate performance.  The assessment of teacher quality must include the incorporation of change in the classroom. The incorporation of technology, new delivery media, societal change all impact learning styles and ultimately the ability of our students to meet the ever changing requirements in the workforce.

Teachers play an important role in the education of our children and their ideas and vision must be integrated into this new education. I recognize that a one size fits all solution will not adequately measure all professionals in an industry as diverse as education. For instance, teachers of special needs students are often very effective; however their students may not perform well on standardized tests. I will work with students, parents and educators to institute reforms creating a fair system to evaluate, compensate, and reward effective teachers.

Paying for performance is just one piece of a comprehensive plan to improve student and teacher performance. We can and should do more in developing aspiring talent. If we want to recruit and retain the brightest and best teachers to educate our children, we must provide them an incentive to teach and succeed in Florida.

Georgia [top]

(R) Governor Nathan Deal  

Excerpt from former U.S. Representative Nathan Deal's full education policy statement:

Prioritize Education Funding, School Choice and Standards

• Prioritize state funding to reflect a belief in the value of educating the next  generation
• Enhance classroom teachers’ role as partners in improvement of Georgia’s  education system
• Strengthen the Teachers’ Retirement System for current and retired educators
• Provide significant flexibility to local school systems that are accountable for  student outcomes
• Focus resources on classroom instruction
• Continue development of a world-class curriculum that includes online tools for  students, teachers and parents
• Encourage world-class education options for Georgia families

Hawaii [top]

(D) Governor Neil Abercrombie 

Excerpt from Neil Abercrombie's full education policy statement:

• Principal leadership academies—Existing and newly recruited principals will get extensive training and preparation and be part of a support network. Principals will have the skills to make decisions and be accountable for achieving school goals including budget, staffing, programs, and scheduling.
• Comprehensive accountability measures—All stakeholders will participate in setting a rigorous and comprehensive set of accountability measures for grading schools. Rather than just looking at test scores, principals and teachers will be evaluated on a full range of criteria to drive continued improvement and guide school-level decision-making.
• Teacher career advancement—A more robust career path with opportunities and rewards will be designed so that the best teachers can advance in their careers without having to enter administration or leave the classroom. This will include more incentives for teachers to stay in schools, meaningful performance measures, and new roles and rewards for master teachers.

Idaho [top]

(R) Governor Butch Otter

From Governor Butch Otter's website.

We need the best and brightest of our Idaho young people to get their educations here and stay here for productive and fulfilling careers. Providing world-class educational opportunities for our citizens isn’t just the smart thing to do; it’s the right thing to do.”
For Governor Otter, education is the key to economic and social well-being and Idaho’s future prosperity, and is a fundamental and proper role of state government. Working with Superintendent Luna and a State Board of Education that is refocused on its constitutional policy-making and oversight role, Governor Otter is committed to rewarding innovation, creativity and what works for Idaho students – K-20. He is committed to raising achievement standards in Idaho classrooms and to creating opportunities in rural Idaho communities on a par with any in the world. The Idaho Education Network is opening doors and expanding horizons for students all over Idaho with state-of-the-art technology and connectivity. The College of Western Idaho is enabling hundreds of new students and mid-career workers to get the more affordable education and training they need. And the Opportunity Scholarship Fund is providing help and hope so financial need won’t keep Idaho’s best students from living up to their own greatest potential. 

Illinois [top]

(D) Governor Pat Quinn

Excerpt from Governor Pat Quinn's full education policy statement:

Even though we find ourselves in tough economic times, it is more important than ever to invest in education. Disadvantaged students require financial aid, students with learning disabilities need early diagnosis and accommodation, and students that work hard in high school deserve a fair chance of entering our state's universities. Illinois's schools and the state's economic health are inextricably linked, and as Governor Quinn said in his 2009 budget address, "Education is the key to equal opportunity and economic empowerment."

Iowa [top]

(R) Governor Terry Branstad

Read Branstad's position on National Board Certification. 

From Terry Branstad's campaign website:

Iowa teachers who earn national certification would be paid an extra $10,000 a year in state bonus money for a decade. 

Restore other teacher incentive programs, including one that helped even out starting salaries among school districts by giving the largest share to the smallest schools.

"Clear, understandable, consistent standards" and tests to make sure students are making progress. Branstad has said the Iowa Core Curriculum, adopted by lawmakers in 2008, is not rigorous enough.

Bigger focus on financial literacy and "entrepreneurial education," which encourages innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, in schools and colleges.

More money for the Iowa Tuition Grant, a state program that cuts costs for private college students.

Kansas [top]

(R) Governor Sam Brownback 

Excerpt from Sam Brownback's full education policy statement:

• Focus the state’s dollars on classroom instruction.
• Promote unified accounting of school districts’ use of state funds and require transparent online spending reports.
• Reform the school finance formula and break the cycle of litigation.
• Ensure that students who pass the 4th grade read at grade level.
• Promote math and science in order to maintain Kansas’ leadership in engineering, energy, and bioscience.
• Support local economies by creating and expanding accredited apprenticeship and technical programs in high schools around the State.
• Limit professional liability for teachers.
• Promote higher pay for master teachers.
• Open up Kansas schools to programs that will provide dollars and opportunities to expand the Kansas education framework.
• Promote innovation in education such as virtual learning so that a school’s size doesn’t limit course offerings. Additionally, alternative teacher certification programs must be enhanced so that lack of a traditional educational background doesn’t limit highly qualified individuals from teaching.

Maine [top]

(R) Governor Paul LePage

Excerpt from Paul LePage's full education policy statement.

• Fully Fund Teachers, Kids and Classrooms First. Our education dollars should be used to advance learning, not to fund a bloated education bureaucracy. Paul will prioritize our limited education dollars so students and teachers have the resources they need to achieve success inside and outside the classroom.
• Increase Students’ Learning Opportunities. Paul values choice, especially in education. As Governor, he will work for a voucher system that allows students and their parents to pick the school that works best for them. Paul will also fight for charter schools so students have an alternative to public education.
• Respect Local Control of Education. Parents and locally elected school board members should have decision-making power over their students’ curriculum. Instead of top-down mandates from Augusta, Paul will empower local officials to develop responsible education plans.
• Tie Teacher Pay to Student Performance. The best indicator of a teacher’s ability is the success of the students in the classroom. If students excel, their teacher should be recognized and rewarded. If students consistently fail to improve, their teacher should not benefit from that failure with automatic pay increases based on longevity.

Maryland [top]

(D) Governor Martin O’Malley  

Excerpt from Martin O'Malley's full education policy statement:

Recruiting and Retaining the Best Teachers

• Governor O'Malley initiated the first-ever statewide TELL Maryland Teacher survey to learn directly from teachers on how to further reform our public schools.
• Recruiting and retaining the best teachers and principals is a top priority for this Administration. Governor O'Malley has continued to fully fund teacher pensions at the state level, and results from the TELL Maryland Survey are now being used in schools across the state as part of their school improvement planning processes.

Massachusetts [top]

(D) Governor Deval Patrick

From Deval Patrick's campaign website:

• Massachusetts 4th and 8th graders topped the nation in reading in for the past three years.
• Expanded early childhood education.
• Highest investment in education in the Commonwealth’s history.
• Signed comprehensive education reform legislation that would tackle the state’s long-standing achievement gap.

Michigan [top]

(R) Governor Rick Snyder

Excerpt from Rick Snyder's full education policy statement.

Transforming Michigan’s educational system is essential to prepare our children to compete globally in a knowledge-based economy. The long-term economic success of a region or state depends on its ability to educate, prepare, and train the next generation of workers. Michigan needs a smart, nimble, and innovative workforce that can adapt to the needs of the knowledge-based economy and compete with anyone in the world. Transforming our current educational system so that it thrives in today’s economy will take a significant amount of time and effort, but Michigan can’t afford to delay any further.

Minnesota [top]

(D) Former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton

Excerpt from Mark Dayton's full education policy statement.

DAYTON’S TEN-POINT PLAN:

• Lower Class Sizes
• Make Affordable, quality Early Childhood Education Available to All Children
• All Day Kindergarten for all Minnesotans  
• Attract and Retain the Best Possible Teachers
• Remove Ineffective Teachers and Principals
• End Four Day School Weeks
• Use Testing as a Tool to Boost Student Achievement
• Close the Achievement Gap
• Sharing Best Practices and Innovation Among School Districts
• Equipping Every School with Modern Technology

(R) State Representative Tom Emmer

Excerpt from Tom Emmer's full education policy statement.

We can’t be economically competitive with other states and with the rest of the world unless we improve student achievement. That means improving education through long-overdue reforms, which is why we have laid out an ambitious education reform agenda: Improving Opportunities for Future Generations. Our vision for real reform focuses on three main pillars: improve teacher and school accountability, address teacher effectiveness, and facilitate innovation within our current system.
We must empower our education professionals, teachers and parents to direct the future of their schools. We must reward teachers and classrooms that are successfully preparing our children and change those teachers and classrooms that are failing. If our K–12 education fails, our children will fail. The simple truth is, we can redesign government to be more efficient than ever and we can create the business environment that will create more jobs than we could ever dream – but if we don’t have the next generation prepared to drive the economic engine, our efforts will have been for naught.

Nebraska [top]

(R) Governor Dave Heineman

From Governor Dave Heineman's campaign website:

Providing first class educational opportunities for Nebraska students is the key to Nebraska’s future success and prosperity. Governor Heineman supports local control, high academic standards and increased parental involvement.

Nevada [top]

(R) Governor Brian Sandoval

Excerpt from Brian Sandoval's full education policy statement:

With our graduation rates the lowest in the nation, it’s time to get serious about reform and challenge the status quo. It’s time to end teacher tenure and social promotion. It’s time to give Nevada parents real choices when it comes to their children’s education. And it’s time to reward good teachers and good schools while holding poor teachers, administrators,
and underachieving schools accountable.

It’s time for a fundamental change from the ground up and the top down. We must fight for our kids with focused accountability, real consequences, expanded opportunities for choice, and more local control over funding.  We must promote merit-based, performance pay and end tenured pay.  We must reward successful teachers and hold poor teachers accountable.  We must promote parental involvement in the educational lives of our children and discipline in the classroom.

New Hampshire [top]

(D) Governor John Lynch

Excerpt from John Lynch's full education policy statement: 

Governor Lynch believes education is the smartest investment we can make in our children’s future and the economic future of our state.

• Increasing New Hampshire's High School Graduation Rate
• Bringing Kindergarten to Every Community
• Promoting Technology Education
• Opening the Door to Higher Education
• Ensuring Safe Schools

New Mexico [top]

(R) Governor Susana Martinez

Excerpt from Susana Martinez's full education policy statement:

Merit-Based Pay Increases for Teachers – Private industry uses financial incentives as a motivating factor in achieving results. The same reward model can be applied to education for high performing teachers. Financial incentives should be linked to achievement in the classroom. Financial incentives can be further used to reward the highest performing teachers who stay at, or relocate to, low performing schools and experience measurable improvement in student achievement.

New York [top]

(D) Governor Andrew Cuomo

Excerpt from former Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's campaign website: 

New York must be the leader when it comes to education reform. This starts with the increasing the charter school cap from 200 to 460. But increasing the cap won’t result in more charter schools if we too tightly restrict where they can be located or how they can be approved. We believe that public review and consultation are important—especially when charter schools will be co-located with traditional public schools—but this cannot become a poison pill that prevents opening new charter schools.

Ohio [top]

(R) Governor John Kasich

Excerpt from  John Kasich's full education policy statement:

• Set higher standards.
• Fund students, not just buildings.
• Use more technology in the classroom to leverage students’ greater use of computers at home.
• Reward excellent teachers and hold all teachers accountable.
• Ensure that all families have education choices

Oklahoma [top]

(R) Governor Mary Fallin

Excerpt from Mary Fallin's full education policy statement: 

Plan for Improving Oklahoma’s Educational System:

• Hold schools more accountable for the success of their students and more  dollars make their way into the classroom.
• Push for higher academic standards because low expectations lead to low levels of achievement
• Give students and families the optin of escaping failing public schools
• Implement financial incentives for excellence in teachers

Oregon [top]

(D) Governor John Kitzhaber

Excerpt from  John Kitzhaber's full education policy statement.

Any assessment of educators based on student performance should include a measure of student progress and learning as well as a range of other factors, not merely whether students reach a certain benchmark. While I am talking about having districts develop assessments for educators that include student performance indicators such as growth and ability to learn, this is not so-called "merit pay." While such data is important for accountability, it should not be tied to increased or decreased pay. And, of course, educators themselves must be at the center of determining these factors and developing such an assessment.
Educators will also be instrumental in helping construct a transparent, investment-based approach to budgeting based on student performance.

Pennsylvania [top]

(R) Governor Tom Corbett

Excerpt from Tom Corbett's full education policy statement:

Ensuring Effective Teachers and Leaders

Great school choices are only made possible if schools are staffed by effective teachers and leaders. Research confirms that if the goal is better schools and higher student achievement, improving teacher effectiveness is the most powerful way to do it. Teacher effectiveness has been found to be the single most important school factor influencing student achievement. As critical as teachers are in the student achievement equation, current systems fall short in ensuring that every student has a highly effective teacher and that every teacher has the tools and support he or she needs to be highly effective. Low-performing schools and low student achievement are not necessarily caused by under-performing teachers. Where low achievement exists, it is often a byproduct of a system that treats teachers as “widgets,” denying them their professionalism and making teaching less attractive.

Tom Corbett believes that we can do better and must support teachers as they strive to give our children the best education possible. Pennsylvania needs new evaluation systems that as fairly, credibly and accurately as possible, gauge teacher effectiveness in promoting student achievement. We need systems to help us increase the number of highly effective teachers in our schools and integrate them with the most critical human capital decisions in public education
– teacher induction, assignment, professional development, retention, dismissal and compensation.

Rhode Island [top]

(I) Governor Lincoln Chafee (Independent)

Excerpt from Lincoln Chafee's full education policy statement: 

As Governor, Chafee will make education a centerpiece of our economic strategy, so that we can train our children to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. It is the role of government to provide a first class public education, and we must all work together to ensure that Rhode Island's children have the resources necessary to thrive in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education.
As Governor, Chafee will make education a centerpiece of our economic strategy, so that we can train our children to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. It is the role of government to provide a first class public education, and we must all work together to ensure that Rhode Island's children have the resources necessary to thrive in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education.

South Carolina [top]

(R) Governor Nikki Haley

Excerpt from  Nikki Haley's full education policy statement.

Promote Performance-Based Teacher Pay
South Carolina has some of the best teachers in the world.  We must reward those teachers and give them incentives to remain in the profession and to take on difficult teaching assignments.  Currently, teacher pay is determined by time, degree, and certification, but does very little to reward teachers who succeed.  Performance-based pay  rewards teachers who take on tough classrooms in high-needs schools, promote excellence in learning, and  put in the effort to do more than “meet standards”.
Performance-based pay must be implemented in a way that measures a teacher’s real performance, not just their students’ standardized test scores.  Local evaluations can incorporate the feedback of students, parents, and principals in a comprehensive manner. 

South Dakota [top]

(R) Governor Dennis Daugaard

Excerpt from  Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard's full education policy statement:

Let local decision-makers run their schools
I am strongly committed to local control and local decision-making.  State leaders don’t like “one-size-fits-all” solutions imposed from Washington, and we should have the same respect for our school districts.  The state’s role is to clearly articulate the high standards to which we will aspire and to provide relevant services to help districts strengthen their academic programs and reach high objectives.  We will allow parents, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers to make choices for their districts, and we will always base our actions on one question:  “What is best for our students?”   

Tennessee [top]

(R) Governor Bill Haslam

Excerpt from Bill Haslam's full education policy statement: 

As governor, he will focus on improving education and workforce development so that every Tennessean will have the opportunity to obtain a high quality job.

As governor, Bill’s education strategy will focus on three key areas: the state’s public K-12 education system, school choice and parental involvement, and workforce development.

Texas [top]

(R) Governor Rick Perry

Excerpt from Governor Rick Perry's website:

Teacher Pay Raises and Incentives.

Texas teacher salaries have increased an average of $14,830 for teachers who have been teaching since 1999. Also, Gov. Perry authorized the largest teacher incentive pay program in the country, $473 million, to reward good teachers for student performance and achievement.

Public-Private Venture.

Texas launched one of the largest public-private initiatives to help at-risk students achieve their potential. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dell Foundation partnered with the State of Texas to form the Texas High School Project that will use $317 million in private and public dollars to help at-risk students stay in school, graduate and prepare for college. 

Utah [top]

(R) Governor Gary Herbert

Excerpt from Governor Gary Herbert's full education policy statement:

Accountability and Reform.
This year, I established the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission to examine Utah’s school system with fresh eyes; to focus on the entire menu of public education including higher education and charter schools in order to implement statewide education reform and long-range planning.
The Education Excellence Commission will “articulate the educational goals and objectives, short term, medium term and long term for public education and higher education (and) establish the education roadmap for success toward building educational excellence in Utah."
I believe that setting clear expectations from the beginning is the cornerstone to clear communication and understanding from all aspects of a child’s educational experience.
No amount of money can substitute for quality teachers, committed students, involved parents, and local control of schools. Utah is blessed with both strong families and excellent educators – we need that partnership to continue to grow if we want our children to prosper.

Vermont [top]

(D) Governor Peter Shumlin 

Excerpt from Peter Shumlin's full education policy statement: 

As Governor, Peter would defend the school funding law that allows for children from Hardwick to have the same access to quality education as children from Stowe. He would also work to improve it where necessary. He would work in partnership with Vermont’s children, our families, our teachers, our administrators and our school boards to ensure that we build the best educational system in the country.
As Governor, Peter would steer us away from the obsession with testing, and the flawed temptation to rate educators simply on the basis of how students score them. He would focus on public education as the primary (not the only) component of sustainable economic development. Every reputable study examining the multiple sources of economic growth places a quality public education system at the top of the list.

Wisconsin [top]

(R) Governor Scott Walker

Excerpt from Scott Wallker's full education policy statement: 

Recruit, Retain and Reward Great Teachers
In every other profession, excellence is rewarded and teaching should be no different.  To make sure our children are receiving the very best instruction, we have to reward the best teachers and provide support for the underperforming ones. Persistently underperforming teachers, however, cannot be allowed to continue to fail our students. Under my plan, teachers will be evaluated based on the following five criteria:

• planning and preparation,
• classroom environment,
• quality of instruction,
• professional responsibilities, and
• yearly student progress.

 
Wyoming [top]

(R) Governor Matt Mead

Excerpt from Matt Mead's website, currently disabled post-election: 

I will work with teachers and administrators to meet what should be the first and common goal – what is the best way to get the best education for our kids. Right now Wyoming gets an “A” for the amount of money it is spending on education but a “C” on results. That’s not good. Our results should match our investment.

We need to recognize the challenges our teachers, principals and administrators face. The vast majority of administrators, principals and teachers are excellent (those of my kids are first-rate), and we must recognize, reward and retain them. But, if a child effectively misses a couple of grades because of ineffective teaching, then that child never catches up. We need a way of timely addressing ineffective teaching, too.