05/31/2026
Every time someone points to low test scores and says our public schools are failing, I ask a simple question:
What exactly are we measuring?
As a retired teacher, I am not a big fan of standardized testing, but I do believe in accountability.
Test scores tell us something. I care about results. I care whether students can read, write, think, solve problems, earn industry credentials, graduate, get jobs, and succeed in life.
But one test score is not the whole child, the whole teacher, or the whole school.
Public schools educate every child who walks through the door. Rich or poor. Rural or urban. Students with disabilities. Students facing hunger, housing problems, family crises, or challenges most adults would struggle to carry.
Private schools can choose who they admit. Public schools cannot.
So when politicians and voucher advocates use low test scores to attack public schools, they are often blaming schools for problems the whole community should be helping solve.
Low test scores should be a warning light, not a weapon.
When the oil light comes on in your truck, you do not smash the dashboard. You fix the problem.
The answer is not to drain money from public schools through vouchers. The answer is to invest in teachers, reduce class sizes, strengthen reading support, expand career and technical education, improve mental health services, and give every child a real chance.
I care about results. Test scores are one piece of the picture. They are not the whole picture.
From Shelby to Lincolnton to Cherryville, our public schools teach every child who shows up. That is not easy work.
The kids sitting in our classrooms today will be the people running our businesses, working in our hospitals, building our homes, and raising families here tomorrow.
Instead of attacking our schools, we should be giving them the tools they need to succeed.
As your next State Senator from SD 44, I will fight to strengthen our public schools, not undermine them.
