California's education system is in trouble. 30% of California high school students are dropping out of school. In urban communities like Los Angeles, only one out of every two kids completes high school. Most of these dropouts are ill-equipped to find good jobs. They are more likely to go on welfare, utilize other taxpayer-subsidized programs and commit crimes.

• We need to provide educational opportunities for students with a variety of interests and passions. Today, the vocational classes many of us had in school that produced skilled business workers and successful business owners are largely absent in our schools.

• Also, an estimated 25% of California students are English learners. We need to make sure ALL students learn English well and recognize that our students' ability to read, write and speak English is crucial for our state's economic engine. We also need to make sure these kids have pride in our wonderful country.

• We need to increase student knowledge and application of science and engineering.

• Finally, we need to empower our teachers to effectively enlist parental support as partners in their children's education while holding them accountable for results in the classrooms.

Why Aren’t Education Dollars Reaching the Classroom?

The administrative and bureaucratic costs in education are staggering. As much as 40 percent of education spending does not reach the classroom. The education law alone takes up 20 VOLUMES! We could cut costs with innovative management and fewer rules.

California’s Education Code

We owe it to our students and all Californians to guarantee education dollars are spent on classroom instruction and not being wasted on unnecessary and inefficient government overhead.