How firm a foundation
Asa Hutchinson News Release
May 30, 2006
Asa Hutchinson Outlines Arkansas ‘First Teachers Foundation’
Emphasizes Importance of Parents, Local Community In Education
Little Rock, Ark. –Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas' 2006 Republican candidate for Governor, said today that, as Governor, he would establish a statewide private foundation to assist parents and local communities in supporting their children’s education.
In a forum with local teachers, parents and educators at Baker Elementary in Little Rock, Hutchinson discussed his “First Teachers Foundation” as a vehicle to achieve his statewide goal of promoting, enhancing and supporting the critical involvement of parents and local communities in creating a strong and effective educational system.
“I’ve made creating more and better-paying jobs my number one policy goal, and you cannot do that without creating a strong education system that produces an educated workforce capable of competing in today’s global economy,” Hutchinson said. “That’s why education reform is an indispensable element of my GROW ARKANSAS campaign.”
Hutchinson noted that the First Teachers Foundation would be funded by private sector contributions, which would be used to launch a public awareness campaign focused on promoting the importance of education in Arkansas – not only for the success of the individual children, but for the goal of growing Arkansas’s economy and attracting the best-paying jobs to our state.
In addition, the foundation would be charged with developing programs to assist parents and guardians and local communities in their active and ongoing involvement in local education efforts. The Foundation would work with local community involvement programs in existence but work to establish programs in communities where such involvement may be lacking.
“We still have too many kids who aren’t graduating or going on to college. We still have too many who can’t read at the appropriate level,” Hutchinson said. “The First Teachers Foundation, with the Governor at the helm, will promote the message that education is the critical element to a child’s success, just as it is the critical element to our state’s overall economic success.”
Hutchinson said that recent suggestions by Legislators that the state should eliminate local school districts and remove the influence and involvement of local communities was “exactly the wrong message.”
“I’m disturbed by recent suggestions that we should eliminate local involvement by our parents and communities and instead create some kind of super-school district run out of Little Rock,” Hutchinson said. “There is no more important criteria in the success of our schools than our local parents and teachers being involved. We need to increase participation by our parents and local communities, not shut them out.”
Hutchinson was responding to comments by Legislators calling for eliminating local school districts and creating a “Unified School District Number One,” as reported by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. (“Schools Audit Adds Fuel to Call for State Takeover,” Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 5/13/06).
“A parent’s involvement in a child’s schooling can make all the difference in that child’s capacity for learning, academic performance and prospects for the future,” Hutchinson said. “With parents working hand in hand with teachers and administrators, Arkansas can truly create a world-class system of public education. The role of the First Teachers Foundation would be to encourage that partnership between parents and schools to do right by our kids.”
Hutchinson pointed to examples of local communities in Arkansas that have created foundations to support the public education mission (such entities exist in El Dorado, North Little Rock, and Fayetteville, for example), as well as to the highly successful Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, as models for the First Teachers Foundation.
“A quarter century ago, we created the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation to help preserve our state’s precious natural resources, state parks and wildlands,” Hutchinson said. “That was the right thing to do. If we can do that for game and fish, surely we can do as much for our children.”
Hutchinson recently unveiled a seven-point education package highlighting education reforms ranging from recruiting and rewarding the best teachers available, promoting classroom innovation, and highlighting the critical element of parental and local community involvement in education.
The First Teachers Foundation proposal is part of Hutchinson’s larger package of education reform under his GROW ARKANSAS campaign. Hutchinson unveiled his education package April 27 at his high school alma mater, Springdale High School.
Comments
As much as I dislike ole Jar Jar Binks, this educational foundation idea might not be so bad. Arkansas basically has 2 classes, the very rich and the poor.
Fort Smith is lousy with multi-millionaires driving around town in their plain jane Buicks and Dodge Diplomats. If every multi-millionaire in Arkansas gave 1% of their wealth to a fund like this , every town in Arkansas would have a new school and a horde of well paid teachers.
Arkansas has been underfunding education since 1836 and it shows. So it's high time we have a new plan......Stan.
Posted by: Deathbyinches | May 30, 2006 11:38 AM
The problem here is that the people who hate taxes the most, ie Asa's constituency, are also the type of people who don't donate to non-profits.
The exception is political organizations, of course. But doing something that might educate disadvantaged black kids in the Delta? No chance.
Posted by: Roland | May 30, 2006 11:59 AM
Have we become so comfortable and complacent in our democracy that we are actually going to just throw it away? The lemmings and locksteppers will always seek comfort and security and peddle the status quo. But when the rest of us become so amused that we settle for spin or just stay home we are playing with fire. Our failure to address our problems only gives them more issues to demagogue, more places to sow fear.
If we could afford for everychild to recieve a world class education within 5 miles of his home don't you think we would have done it already?
Posted by: delbert | May 30, 2006 12:01 PM
Hey death by inches..if you would get a real job and work hard maby you could be one of those millionaires you envy so much...education funding should be paid by the ones who have the kids. If some one with no kids wants to contribute then fine.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 12:12 PM
>>The problem here is that the people who hate taxes the most, ie Asa's constituency, are also the type of people who don't donate to non-profits.<<
Wrong. Them rich folks donate a lot but its mainly a tax avoidance scheme to avoid the "death tax". Now get rid of estate taxes then they'll quit donating to anything that doesn't provide one of the great essentials required for being charitable:
1. Being able to rub shoulders with someone famous (see Tiger in Little Rock)
2. Involve getting your picture took at a swanky or at least swanky to you society/charity function.
3. Better parking and tickets for the Hogs.
4. Getting your name on the building.
Posted by: Well | May 30, 2006 12:35 PM
Death to the Death Tax.....go to fairtax.com
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 12:50 PM
sorry..It's fairtax.org
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 12:53 PM
There already is a non-profit working to educate poor people in the delta, www.ngfonline.org
Posted by: Next Generation Foundation | May 30, 2006 01:26 PM
This is a message to the anonymous blogger who replied above to DBI and stated that "education funding should be paid by those who have the kids." Well, la-di-da! Aren't you a fine one? Do you not realize that you are not an island unto yourself? Don't you understand that what educational advancements are for and to the citizens of Arkansas accrues to us all?
Sheesh! I wish I were as smart and smug as some of you dumbass Republican right-wingers. I wouldn't have a worry in the world. I'd just take care of my own special little corner of heaven and quit worrying about anything else.
I could go on and on over your ultimate stupidity and self-absorption, but I'll stop now and say a special prayer to God in Heaven above that He will somehow find it in His Will to help you see the right before it's too late!
Posted by: Old Blue Eyes | May 30, 2006 01:48 PM
Well sounds good, but how about answering some questions?
1. Who are the manager's of this "foundation"?
2. Is it regional or by school district and who gets what and when?
3. If it is regional, the folks in the Delta can hardly afford food and gas. Does the foundation money exclude them because they don't have benefactors (see Springdale/Bentonville/Rogers/Fayetteville)?
4. Is the foundation money for infrastructure, teachers or technolgies and who will decide what the dough is for?
5. Who is arguing that parents are the key to a child's success?
With 50% of our children being raised by a single parent - maybe we should be looking into REALLY funding early education instead of some grandeous plan that leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
I for one don't want to see the poltical and predatory system we got at the UofA when it comes to Foundations dollars and such invading our public schools.
If Mr Hutchinson sees a opportunity to bring some new monies into our public school systems without the control of private or business entities - I'm all for it. I don't want to see a Walton or Stephens having any power or influence over our public schools, and this proposal smells like this just might happen. We already got a family foundation trying to strong arm the LRSD - we sure don't need these kinda tactics in our states system.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 02:01 PM
"education funding should be paid by the ones who have the kids. If some one with no kids wants to contribute then fine."
In my lifetime I never thought I would hear a conservative arguing for tax breaks for gays.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 02:09 PM
The Next Generation Foundation, www.ngfonline.org, is an excellent example in action of this idea being discussed.
The Next Generation Foundation is a non-partisan organization and is supplying money for kids to go to school and was started right here in Arkansas.
We need more good ideas like this.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 02:18 PM
next generation looks like it is for college scholarships, Asa's plan is to help K-12 education and for the Governor to be the chief fundraiser. It has never been done before for education at least and is a great idea.
Posted by: Jay | May 30, 2006 02:31 PM
It is a great idea that Asa has. The next generation foundation looks like it also is working to bring new technology like broadband to the delta region as a critical part of improving education and health care (i.e. telemedicine) Asa's plan sounds like something that could be molded into an already established organization like next generation foundation.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 02:42 PM
old blue eyes...if it weren't for republicans paying taxes who would take care of lazy-ass welfare libs like you...you better treat us a little nicer since we are paying all the bills so you can whine all day on this blog...get out and finally pay some taxes..help us out big guy !!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 02:49 PM
This sounds like an excellent idea. But for the fact that it comes from the orical ASA! I could support it. I do not feel as though my fears are unfounded when I say that ASA! will find a way to turn this "good idea" into an incubator for far-right conservative thinking. It will become a "focus on the family" fiasco--an end-run around the seperation between church and state--an attempt to over-lay the values of a few onto the schools that give service to us all. This a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Posted by: Tax Payer | May 30, 2006 03:02 PM
It really shouldn't matter if it comes from Asa or Mike, its a good idea. I like the sound of working it into something like the Next Generation Foundation and other such organizations. We can't count on government to solve everything alone.
Also, this is why I read this Blog. I think I will contribute to NGF now. Thanks Max.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 03:12 PM
So if elected as a PUBLIC official, Asa will work to set up a system of PRIVATE funding for PUBLIC education? I'm confused. Why does it take a governor to do this? It sounds like a job for someone in the private sector to me.
Posted by: Bill | May 30, 2006 03:28 PM
It could be done by private individuals as the Next Generation Foundation demonstrates, or facilitated by the government. Either way, it needs to be done more and across party lines.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 30, 2006 03:30 PM
"With 50% of our children being raised by a single parent - maybe we should be looking into REALLY funding early education instead of some grandeous plan that leaves more questions unanswered than answered.
"
If half of the kids are being raised in single family homes, maybe it is time that we look at ways to keep families together, make it tougher to get divorced, and put these kide in an environment of having thier own family caring for them and training them up in the way they should go instead of leaving the job to a slightly above minimum wage daycare/pre-k worker.
Also, your point on funding pre-K is not legit. It is already funded at $60 Million/year more than it was 4 years ago. They currently can't spend all of the money they have...there are not thousands of kids waiting in line and just waiting for funding as some of the liberals in the ledge would have you believe.
Posted by: an interested observer | May 30, 2006 04:30 PM
These non-profits are good for supplementing school funding, but by introducing this as public policy we finally get an old-school Republican idea of non-goverment to stumble around on: Let's not talk about fixing the existing education system. Instead, let's defer to the historically-refuted idea that people will generously help out their countrymen in need while simultaneously bitching at the amount of taxes that they pay. Man, this will work so well that we'll want to completely fund schools like this.
If Asa can't fix the current system without more money from the financially able, then why doesn't he push for higher taxes only on the upper brackets and work with the ledge to make the funding system more fair? What's the difference?
Posted by: Bill | May 30, 2006 05:38 PM
Bill,
It would seem the difference is that government wouldn't have to take any responsibility for those that fell through the cracks. Not unlike this HomeTown Health initiatives that encourage local volunteers to assess and address local public health needs, Asa's? plan would rely on what local volunteers assess as needs.
Now, as it is surely never a good idea to assume one size fits all. It is just as unwise to assume we all shouldn't have access to that size. The Hutchinson plan seems little more than encouraging booster clubs while neglecting the government's obligation to providing our children with an equal opportunity. In effect, it seems like typical republican excuses for action in responding to creating an egalitarian and just society.
Posted by: P | May 30, 2006 08:11 PM