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Chris Gabrieli on Education
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Support charter schools: opportunity for innovation & choice
GABRIELI: Tom and I support charter schools because we see them as an opportunity for innovation and choice. Deval, I think you're wrong to refuse these kids the choices that every other parent seeks for themselves to go to a great school.PATRICK:
Chris, you're wrong that I don't support charter schools. As important as charter schools are and as helpful as they are, we need to come up with a different and better funding mechanism before we raise the cap.
REILLY: Deval, if there was a moratorium
proposed by the legislature, to curb any growth in charter schools, would you sign that legislation? I wouldn't. I think Chris would veto it.
GABRIELI: I would veto it.
REILLY: Would you veto it?
PATRICK: Yes, but listen, we've got to be serious
about funding. The formula works in theory, but in real life, there are real tensions between real families and that is not community building and that is not advancing ed reform.
REILLY: It's a matter of giving parents choice, give them a choice.
Source: MA gubernatorial debate on CBS4 news, moderator: Jon Keller
Sep 13, 2006
Started the 2020 Foundation to innovate in schools
Education is so important to Chris that in 2000, Chris left his private sector job to start his own non-profit organization, Massachusetts 2020 Foundation. The sole mission of the organization is to expand educational and economic opportunities for
children and families across Massachusetts. Its mission is grounded in the basic philosophy that quality education and access to economic opportunity are vital to giving every citizen an equal chance to achieve the American Dream.
Over the past five years, Chris and Massachusetts 2020 have launched a number of innovative programs to improve the educational opportunities for our children, like the Boston's After-School for All Partnership, the School Sites Initiative,
Literacy Coaching Initiative and the Middle School Initiative.
The results of all of these initiatives are better educated children who are more prepared for college and the challenges of a competitive global economy.
Source: Campaign website, www.gabrieli.org, "on the issues"
Jun 4, 2006
Local solutions & state cooperation to keep kids in school
Q: With the Massachusetts high school drop-out rate increasing, what will you do to ensure that kids stay in school?A: This is a serious problem - but there's not a "one-size-fits-all" solution to it.
Each community has its own needs and will need its own solution - and it will require the state, local governments and families to work together to get real results. One of the things we need to do is make school interesting and fun for students.
Different students have different interests, and extracurricular programs such as sports, arts, music and vocational courses are being cut. We need to keep our kids engaged, and often that means finding something other than reading, writing
and math that keeps them interested in school. As Governor, I will encourage the growth of these programs to keep kids engaged, I'll fund drop-out prevention programs, and I'll work with local school districts to develop plans that work best for them.
Source: Campaign website, www.gabrieli.org, "FAQs"
Jun 3, 2006
Extend the school day
I've worked to bring after-school programs to thousands of kids in Massachusetts and right now I'm working with the state legislature to extend the school day in a number of districts. These programs expand the opportunities for kids to get engaged
in activities at their school and to explore new areas of interest. They also give kids a safe place to be after school while their parents are still at work, helping kids avoid negative influences like alcohol and drugs that often lead to drop-outs.
Source: Campaign website, www.gabrieli.org, "FAQs"
Jun 3, 2006
More state funding and tax breaks for college costs
Q: What will you do to make college more affordable?A: College tuition is skyrocketing across the state, but the state is not paying its fair share. Instead of investing in our colleges and universities, the state's investment in higher education has
actually decreased over the last five years. As Governor, I will work to adequately fund higher education and to increase access to financial aid. I'll also help families out by making contributions to State College Savings Plans tax deductible.
Source: Campaign website, www.gabrieli.org, "FAQs"
Jun 3, 2006
Supports charter schools and calls them successful
Gabrieli supports charter schools and believes they have been successful in the state. That being said, he wants to be sure all public schools have the tools they need to provide the best education possible. His campaign says
Gabrieli supports lifting the cap that limits the amount a district can spend on charter schools. "He thinks the smart way to do it is as a part of a larger package of carrots and sticks to get the public schools to change," said a spokesman.
Source: Boston Globe Issue Outlines: Education
Jun 3, 2006
More charter schools and individual merit pay
Gabrieli, who opposes a cap on charter schools and supported merit pay when he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1998, said he does not support it as a matter of broad policy now, though he would not prohibit individual districts using it as a
tool of innovation. He also touted the $25 million public-private partnership he initiated to fund after-school learning programs, which were approved for eight school districts.
Source: Brian C. Mooney in Boston Globe
Apr 30, 2006