Stop the the closing of public schools and the use of public school monies for private charter and parochial schools.

I have worked in public schools in low income and or minority areas for 14 years. These schools suffer from the same problems: low test scores, violence, poor attendance, teen pregnancy, high teacher turn over rates, drugs on campus, and high drop out rates. Many programs today try to "fix" this problem, by putting intense pressure on teachers to raise test scores or get fired. The poor performance in these schools in many cases is no more the fault of the teachers who service these schools as the high crime rates in the communities surrounding the school is the fault of the police officers who service the community. Everyone is calling for more police to be hired to fight crime. More staff need to be hired to help equip these school kids with essential social and vocational skills.