Dear Hoosier Educators and Parents,

I believe that the Hoosier children are our most valuable natural resource. I am not tied to any corporation, union or government agency, so I am free to make policies and decisions which allow parents to decide what is best as it relates to their children's education. I am not “anti-public education,” but I am for changing our current policies, because I believe these policies are government-centric and not family-centric.  We need to Give Education Back To The Parents.

I believe the following with regards to Indiana education:

• Education needs to be locally controlled. The State Department of Education should return the decision-making power to our local School Boards and our School District Administrators.

• Parents need to have the ultimate, final decision on their children’s education.

• 60% of our state budget goes to education, so the majority of those funds should go straight into the classrooms!

• The dollars should follow the student, no matter where their parents decide to have them educated: public, private, charter, or homeschool, and with no restrictions and no strings attached.  The government should not get to dictate how we educate our children. If for some reason, an entity such as a private school or homeschooling parent, wishes to not accept that money for the student, they would be willing to do that. It is their choice.

• I am against common core curriculum.

• I believe every child is unique and that no one-size-fits all education system can benefit all children.

• Our teachers’ job performance should not be tied to children’s test scores.

• I would work with the General Assembly to abolish all statewide standardized testing, so that the teachers are no longer teaching to the tests, but can make learning fun and interesting again.

• I would also work to simplify our state’s high school graduation requirements to encourage more vocational education programs, apprenticeships and technical training for the hundreds of opportunities in our state that will increase further, as I eliminate and simplify the unnecessary regulations in our state to start a small business.

Teachers will be happier teaching what they love, getting paid better for their hard work, and will no longer be under the heavy hand of our state and federal government. They will be free to teach! 

The students will be better educated and better equipped to go to the next step in their life, whether it be college, the work force or the military. 

Hoosier parents will be once again empowered to make the decisions concerning their own child’s education.

Vote for me this November to be your next Governor and I will Give Education Back To The Parents.

Donald Rainwater

Candidate for Indiana Governor