California’s June 5th Primary Election Critical for Pro Parent and Student Public School Choice

California’s June 5th primary election may determine whether parents, students, teachers, and communities will continue to have the ability to exercise their freedom and liberty to choose quality public schools and specifically quality public charter schools in California in the future. Public school choice is essential to drive better quality public schools for all students across all California communities! A well educated public is the foundation of a healthy, thriving, and prosperous society. Yet these foundational principles are under imminent threat in this upcoming election in California.

After a once proud public education system that decades ago ranked near the top in the nation in student performance, California currently ranks 44th in the nation for Reading, and 46th in the nation for Math. Less than 33% of student can read or write at grade level, and over 70% of students going to college need remedial help in English or Math. Research estimates confirm that anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of all students in District-operated public schools are either being failed outright or are significantly underprepared for college and career pathways. These glaring statistics are abysmal and shameful for a state that boasts as the fifth largest economy in the entire world, but are irrefutable, factual indicators of a failing public education system that has been systematically controlled for decades by powerful, status quo public education special interests in California. Public school choice, particularly the choice of public charter schools that are designed to operate independently of the existing school district structure, represents a serious threat to the absolute control that the powerful education special interest groups hold over the public education system.

Currently, more than 600,000 K-12 students in California have chosen, of their own free will, California public charter schools as their preferred public school. This total number of students represents approximately 10% of the entire 6.2 million K-12 public school enrollment in California. Studies consistently show that California’s public charter schools are outperforming district-operated public schools in serving the most needy students successfully. Parent and student public school choice, including both district-operated public schools and independent public charter schools, is the key to improving our public education system in California in the future.

Two main elected offices in the upcoming California election are critical to upholding the fundamental rights of parents and students to public school choice:
1. Governor
2. State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

For Governor, the most electable candidate to support parent and student public school choice is ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA

For State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the best candidate to support parent and student public school choice is MARSHALL TUCK

If parent and student public school choice and a quality public education system is important to you, vote on June 5th for ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA for Governor, and MARSHALL TUCK for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.