Republican Candidate for Governor in 2010

Greg Zanetti of Albuquerque:

“I’m all for education. New Mexico ranks...well in education in the nation.

“Step one: What we are going to have to do is push the education issue back into the local communities. It cannot be controlled by Santa Fe and expect stellar results.

“Step two: Parents have to have more choices, whether that is charter school systems they can put their children into.”

He said schools need to get local control.

“There are a lot of public school teachers and administrators, who just hate the system. They would like to change it. They want more autonomy and more freedom. Let principles run their own schools and not Santa Fe.”

So New Mexico ranks well in education in the nation (Rank 48th). Albuquerque has a 50% dropout rate and it is increasing but that does not appear to bother Mr. Zanetti. He would push from parent’s choices which is code for private schools for the well off and no education for middle class and low income children.

On the other hand Lt. Governor Diane Denish has fought long and hard to increase funding for pre-K education to help the children of this state achieve a brighter future.

The republicans had better start searching for a better candidate if they want to not be humiliated in 2010. This republican candidate will most definitely not have the support of educators in this state with his lack of understand of educational issues.

Education is the one area where you cannot react like a Wall Street type CEO and hope to get the desired results for our state or our country. More local educational administration is not the answer at a time when we already have far too many high priced administration officials in this state and not enough of the tax payer's dollars reach the classrooms.