Tim Singstock, photo courtesy of his campaign.Charter Schools Have Merit- But We Don’t Need Them in PWC
As we enter the final few weeks of campaign season, it is important to remember that we have a great school system in Prince William County. Charter schools certainly have merit for some parts of the country but we don’t need them here in Prince William County. My campaign platform in 2015 focuses on class size reduction, competitive teacher pay and safe schools. These are the issues that matter to Prince William County’s parents and educators. Charter schools are helping economically disadvantaged kids in places like Washington, D.C., Houston and New York City; we cannot deny this fact. Charter schools are not a panacea for all struggling public school systems (ours not included) but they do offer innovative and responsive solutions to student needs. It is not fair that the quality of a child's education is sometimes determined by their zip code. This is why charters enjoy bi-partisan support including Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and even President Barrack Obama (Politifact.com, 2015). With that being said, we have a great school system here in Prince William County. Our staff is hard-working and dedicated; they love their jobs and they love our kids. We have diverse specialty programs empowering our high school students with choice and educational diversity. Every school in Prince William County has an innovative robotics program teaching our young people to think critically and work together to solve problems. The business, faith-based and civic communities in Prince William County are eager to partner with our school system. Through partnerships, we build a stronger school system and better Prince William County. With such a great community and school system, we don’t need charter schools in Prince William County. My family moved to Prince William County in 1979. I am a proud product of Prince William County Schools. Counting my kids, my siblings, my mom who worked as a school librarian and myself, my family has 70 collective school years and counting in Prince William County Schools. I love this community and want to give back to the school system that has given so much to my family and me. While necessary in some parts of the country, charter schools are not on my agenda. A vote for me is a vote for class size reduction, starting with our middle school kids and teachers; competitive teacher pay and fostering an environment that treats our educators like the professionals that they are; promoting a safe, healthy and drug free learning environment for our kids and staff. Review my record as a product of Prince William County Schools, a Certified Project Management Professional with experience managing multi-million dollar IT projects, a former U.S. Army Officer and Chairman of the Prince William County Safe Schools Advisory Council. You will see that I have the commitment and experience to deliver positive results for the families and educators of Prince William County.
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