Santorum Bashes Public Schools, Says They're Stuck In Factory Era

LATimes ^ | February 18, 2012 | Mitchell Landsberg

[Steelfish]

Santorum Bashes Public Schools, Says They're Stuck In Factory Era

By Mitchell Landsberg February 18, 2012

Reporting from Columbus, Ohio— Republican GOP hopeful Rick Santorum may be the most prominent homeschooler in America. So it might not have been surprising that, on Saturday, he told a conservative Christian audience that he intended to homeschool his children in the White House.

In his remarks to the Ohio Christian Alliance, however, Santorum went further, seeming to attack the very idea of public education.

In the nation’s past, he said, “Most presidents homeschooled their children in the White House.… Parents educated their children because it was their responsibility.”

“Yes, the government can help,” he continued, “but the idea that the federal government should be running schools, frankly much less that the state government should be running schools, is anachronistic.”

[Yaelle]

Was he not Pennsylvania’s Senator at the time, doing more for his state than most others who used that homeschooling system? And didn’t this system cost the state less than if they had gone to a PA public school?

And what is wrong with living in DC as a member of congress? Most of them do. He wanted an intact family, not a neurotic and worse Condit style separation.

[Marguerite]

"Just to clue you in, Mr. Santorum WAS ENTITLED to that money as a permanent resident of Penn Hills, PA School district."

No he wasn't. No on is ENTITLED to other taxpayers' money. He should put his kids in the school in VIRGINIA, where he owned and lived all around the year in a $2 million mansion. Because he wasn't entitled to Penn Hill district money, and because at he was a (R)Senator under a (R)admin., the Department of Education tried to patch up the dispute, and in 2008 paid the Penn Hills district a sum of $55,000 (from taxpayers' money) to close the case. Santorum himself refused to reimburse a cent.

[Jim from C-Town]

SORRY, He was a legal resident of Penn Hills, PA. He owned a home there, he paid income and real estate taxes at that property, he was registered to vote at that property and he represented the state of PA while he was in the U. S. Senate.

That is the law, if you don't like the state law, work to change that law. He was entitled to that money as anyone else who lived there would be.

I am sorry that your personal bias and jealousy won't allow you to understand the simple fact that he was allowed to get that money and he chose to use it for a cyber education school instead of a local public school. That was the choice he and his wife made. It is called freedom of choice and doesn't only include the right to kill unborn children.

He refused to pay it because he didn't owe it. What the Republicans and the Dept. of Education choose to do is on them. As a legal resident, HE WAS ALLOWED THE MONEY! If Penn Hills and the Pittsburgh Pack of Garbage wanted to get the money back they should have taken legal actions. They didn't, BECAUSE they know they would have lost the case.

It is black and white law, He was a legal resident, whether you like it or not, he was entitled to the money and he took advantage of that entitlement.

[Marguerite]

How can you be so obtuse?

If Santorum and kids lived in Virginia - and I don't dispute him this right, he can live anywhere he chose - his kids should be schooled in Virginia, not Pennsylvania.

"Where, exactly, does Santorum call home?

Santorum became mired in a residence controversy after stating that he spent only “maybe a month a year” at his Pennsylvania home on Stephens Lane, which is part of the Penn Hills real estate market just outside of Pittsburgh.

When he was the Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum and his family lived in this Leesburg, VA home.

In reality, Santorum and his family were living in Leesburg, VA, prompting serious questions about why the school district in Penn Hills was paying for his children’s online school tuition for instruction between 2001 and 2004.

Critics complained that Pennsylvania taxpayers were paying 80 percent of the tuition for five of Santorum’s seven children — who lived in Virginia — to attend an online “cyber school.” The flap forced Santorum to pull his kids from the cyber-school program, but the issue helped doom him against Democrat challenger Bob Casey, who beat Santorum by 18 points. In 2006, the Pennsylvania state Department of Education agreed to pay $55,000 to settle the dispute.

Meanwhile, since his 2006 re-election defeat, Santorum has since moved into another home in Virginia. In 2007, he spent $2 million to buy a 5,000-square foot home in Great Falls, VA, his filing papers with the Pennsylvania Department of State lists his home municipality as Fairfax County, VA.

http://www.zillow.com/blog/2012-02-14/pennsylvania-roots-were-source-of-controversy-for-santorums-2006-senate-race/

[jellybean]

Just curious - who pays for your child’s education in France?

[Marguerite]

When will you stop beating your wife?

or

When will your husband stop beating you?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Santorum’s historical voting position on Education;

Voted to increase Federal funding for teacher testing

Voted to increase spending for the Department of Education by $3.1 billion.

Voted against requiring courts to consider the impact of IDEA awards on a local school district.

[jellybean]

I don’t have a wife or a husband so the questions stands: Who pays for your child’s education in France?

[jellybean]

I have to leave for work now, so I’ll check back later to see if you have an answer to the question.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

I can sum up that long winded apology for the Santimonius Rick in one word........HYPOCRITE.

And by all means, let him keep on blabbering with no set limit. That way he will prove beyond a doubt that all he knows how to do, is talk about things, he knows very little about, of forgot that he is guilty of it himself. And we have his actual history in front of us to check out for ourselves.

[Steelfish]

Try this:

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1412426353001/newt-gingrich-caught-in-a-lie/?intcmp=sem_outloud

[berdie]

I couldn't agree more about the nit picking. But often, if I hear about something that may become an issue, I want info to counter...or even know if it is true.

Like you, I wasn't familiar with cyber-schooling. Heck, back when I was in school (walking to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways, lol) there was no such thing as home schooling. I looked to see how it worked.

It seems the school in question is a charter school that provides “cyber classes” and requires tuition from the parent. There is a subsidy provided from the school district. From what I could ascertain, the primary issue the Santorums encountered was due to residency requirements. The home in the state must be a primary residence. The home owned in PA was vacant for most of the time and created quite a brou-ha-ha during his last run for senator there.

I know I am not good at explaining things..so that probably sounded about a clear as mud. I was just curious why this had become such an issue, and could in the future.

I completely agree with you about home schooling. I would be loath to send my kids to the public school system in today's world.

So today, I know more about the PA school system than I ever thought I would and hope you haven't minded me sharing that info.

[berdie]

Going to home cyber-schooling would definitely save mega bucks and hopefully provide a better education. But getting the DOE to release their control...and their reason for being..could be a tough job.

I would wonder how most families that have two working parents would handle this.

I could see it being implemented initially at the college level. No more huge college debt and the student could work while having the flexibility of a full college education.

But I can see the politics of that situation failing as well. No more fraternities/sororities, no “college experience” and more importantly...No Bowl Games or March Madness. Both of which are big money makers. Oh no..the Huge Manatee!!! People might actually go to college for an education.

But we can always hope.

[Jim from C-Town]

You keep repeating yourself. I suggest you get that checked out. Just because the Pittsburgh Pack-o-Crap or a Democrat school system flunky has a beef with Santorum wanting his family to live with him while he serves his term in the Senate shouldn't get your panties in a wad.

If I where you I would concern myself with beating Romney and than beating Obummer.

Of course living in France, what do you care.

[jellybean]

Well, I’m back from work and I see you still haven’t answered my question. I’ll let that one go for now, but I have another. If a married service member from PA is stationed in another state with his family and takes advantage of the cyber school option, is he ripping off the taxpayers as well?

[KeyLargo]

home : news : state news Share February 21, 2012
2/16/2012 5:02:00 PM
Under new rules, school choice enrollment surges
Higher income caps, expanded geography lead to more choice schools, more students

Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter

In the movie “Field of Dreams,” the lead character Ray Kinsella built a baseball field in a cornfield after hearing a voice say, “Build it and they will come.”

http://lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=109&ArticleID=14737