It’s all about Education — Not Politics
Every week, NPRI President Sharon Rossie writes a column for NPRI's week-in-review email. If you are not getting our emails, which contain our latest commentaries and news stories, you can sign up here to receive them.
Thursday’s NPRI Open House in Reno was a tremendous success. The level of support for the work we’re doing at NPRI was very encouraging — almost overwhelming, in fact. My deepest thanks to everyone who was able to attend.
Conversations with the many supporters who made it to our new Reno office made clear that our 2015 Legislative Session Review and Report Card has been very well received. Attendees told me they found NPRI’s research invaluable for getting past the political rhetoric and learning what really went on at the 2015 legislative session.
Another topic folks regularly brought up was the tremendous success school-choice advocates had in the last legislative session, with the passing of Education Savings Accounts.
ESAs — now being recognized nationally as a major step in American education reform — are also earning praise from parents from all over the political spectrum. At the family level at least, support for the nation’s largest school-choice program is truly bipartisan.
As it should be.
After all, education isn’t about politics. It’s about giving children the tools necessary to succeed in life —empowering them with the knowledge and the skills to fulfill their potential.
And that’s why we are so passionate about the opportunities ESAs provide for Nevada families. School choice, basically, is all about empowering children, teachers, and parents — freeing them all from what, over the years, had unfortunately turned into a smothering, over-reaching, one-size-fits-all government monopoly.
ESAs, on the other hand, allow parents to find the options best suited to each individual child — and agreeable to their family values. School choice also incentivizes educators and schools, including public schools, to innovate and improve their methods.
So, we are really looking forward to the state’s ESA implementation next year.
Of course, much work still needs to be done. Families need to understand their options, and NPRI — dedicated to making sure they do — will be working overtime to help them through the process.
It will be hard work in the year ahead, but we look forward to standing with parents, teachers, and policy makers of all political persuasions to ensure that every Nevada student has access to this tremendous opportunity.
After all, school choice does something amazing: It returns education to the students and parents.
And that’s good for all of Nevada’s youth.
Warm regards,
Sharon J. Rossie
NPRI President
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