Comments on: Run away from ‘Race to the Top’

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:46:00 +0000

I have one more criticism of this whole education plan. If the federal government were to mandate pre-school for the entire nation it would cost way more than $500 million dollars per state. New buildings would have to be built. Then private pre-schools and daycares would quickly go out of business. This would be a big loss on an economic level. It would strain an already strained economy with higher taxes to pay for the programs while at the same time putting millions of people out of jobs and closing many private businesses.

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:30:00 +0000

I’m with Matt. Every state is different with different people. Utah already produces many bright people. Utah isn’t the reason the United States is falling behind internationally. If we allow the federal government to fund our education, then we are allowing the federal government to choose the curriculum for our students. That would mean drastic changes with very little parent involvement. We don’t need more money for education. We need parents who care enough to read to their children, and do math with their children and make sure that their children are staying ahead.

By: Matthew Piccolo

Matthew Piccolo — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Dimitri. I understand that more money for education in Utah would be a good thing, if used well, but, in my view, the long term negative consequences of increased federal intervention in Utah public education are not worth a few million bucks today. We can succeed without federal mandates (or funding) in Utah.

By: Dimitri Moumoulidis

Dimitri Moumoulidis — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:24:00 +0000

I absolutely disagree. Your narrow view of the “guvment out to get us” is ridiculous. You should be praising the federal government for being frugal with these tax dollars by making discretionary competitive grants that rewards innovation from states who are providing solutions instead of just bitching about problems, as opposed to imposing their will on every state equally which is what you are implying but it isn’t factually the case. This flat grant for a relatively small state like Utah can be stretched a long way. Considering how screwed we are in terms of PPS, there is no doubting that Utah not only can use that money, we desperately need it. Maybe you missed the part this last year in the Legislature where we struggled to find money for a solid reading program for those young kids but I didn’t. I think that is fair because I must have missed the moment when a good idea came out of South Carolina but apparently you caught it. Personally I feel those cud chewing hillbillies can do whatever they like but it doesn’t make it a good idea for Utah.

We should be fighting like hell for this money. As a father I want my son to succeed in life. As a former business owner, I want to know that people I hire aren’t complete idiots. As a patriot and someone who believes in the exceptionalism of our families in Utah, and the state of Utah, I want every opportunity for our children to lead the way in the American story and not be left behind thinking about how they wish they could be apart of the American dream. The global competitive market is catching up to us and I can guarantee you that they are ecstatic about our failing education system.

So is it that you hate America Matt, or is it that you just want us to fail? I can’t tell.