WILL FINALLY RETURN TO THEIR
CLASSROOMS TOMORROW.
BUT THIS COMING AS PARENTS ARE
GROWING MORE CONCERNED ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY OVER THEIR
CHILDREN’S EDUCATION.
NOW, ONE ALARMING DISCOVERY EVEN
REVEALING THAT HIGH SCHOOL
FRESHMEN OUT OF A BALTIMORE CITY
SCHOOL ARE TESTING AT AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL FOR
READING.
JOINING ME NOW IS DARLA RUMPO,
DIRECTOR OF THE CHILDREN’S
SCHOLARSHIP FUND.
DARLA, ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE
YOU.
I WISH IT WAS BETTER NEWS.
YOU KNOW, I HAD HEARD, IT’S JUST
SORT OF ANECDOTAL INFORMATION,
BUT I’VE GOT FRIENDS IN THE
TEACHING PROFESSION, I USED TO
BE A TEACHER IN CHICAGO, SO I’VE
GOT A LOT OF FRIENDS IN
TEACHING, ONE OF WHOM IS IN NEW
JERSEY.
80% OF HIS CLASS, BECAUSE OF ALL
THIS REMOTE LEARNING, 80% OF HIS
CLASS ARE FAILING, JUNIOR HIGH
SCHOOL CLASS, IN BOTH ENGLISH
AND MATH.
BUT HE WAS TOLD BY HIS
SUPERIORS, BY THE PRINCIPAL’S
OFFICE, TO PASS THESE STUDENTS
BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO
CREATE A SCENE WITH PARENTS.
ARE YOU HEARING SATISFACTORIES
LIKE THATSOME -- STORIES LIKE
THAT?
>> WELL, YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO
LOOK AT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN
CHICAGO NOW OR OVER THE LAST TWO
YEARS.
IT’S ACTUALLY, DAVID, BEEN GOING
ON MUCH LONGER THAN THAT.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL KIDS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY, FOURTH GRADE AND
EIGHTH GRADE, ONLY A LITTLE OVER
A THIRD ARE PROFICIENT IN MATH
AND READING, AND THAT’S BEEN
GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
SO I’M KIND OF GLAD EVERYBODY’S
SEEING IT NOW AND UNDERSTANDING
WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING AND IT’S
WAKING PEOPLE UP.
LAST YEAR OVER 50% OF PARENTS
SAID THEY WERE EITHER THINKING
ABOUT CHANGING OR GOING TO
CHANGE THEIR CHILD’S SCHOOL.
AND NOW WE HAVE OVER 75% OF ALL
VOTERS AND 80% OF PARENTS WHO
BELIEVE IN SCHOOL CHOICE, MONEY
FOLLOWING THE CHILD.
THAT’S A HUGE JUMP.
SO AS BAD AS ALL THESE NUMBERS
ARE, THEY’VE BEEN BAD FOR A VERY
LONG TIME, AND IT’S ONLY NOW
THAT IT’S COMING TO THE
FOREFRONT AND PEOPLE ARE
UNDERSTANDING IT AND MANY PEOPLE
ARE SEEING IT, ESPECIALLY
PARENTS.
DAVID: SO MUCH OF THIS COMES
FROM THE TEACHERS UNION.
THERE’S A LOT OF BLAME TO GO
AROUND, BUT THE TEACHERS UNIONS,
THEY’VE DONE A GREAT JOB IN
GETTING MORE MONEY FOR THE
TEACHERS.
THAT’S FINE.
I’M GLAD THAT THAT HAPPENED.
BUT AS THE MONEY HAS INCREASED,
THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION HAS
DECREASED.
NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF TEST
SCORES, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT
THEY’RE LEARNING WHICH, OF
COURSE, AS YOU FAMOUSLY SAID,
THIS PANDEMIC HAS PULLED BACK
THE CURTAIN, SO WE SEE WHO EASEL
CONTROLLING THE LEVERS OF
THIS -- WHO’S CONTROLLING THE
LEVERS OF THIS.
BUT THE TEACHERS UNIONS
THEMSELVES, THE GREAT THING
ABOUT SCHOOL CHOICE, IT’S THE
ONLY WAY I KNOW OF TO GET AROUND
THE TEACHERS UNIONS, NO?
>> IT IS THE ONLY WAY.
AND I LOVE WHAT WINSOME SEARS,
NEW LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF
VIRGINIA SAID, SHE SAID I WANT
TO FUND CHILDREN, I DON’T WANT
TO FUND BRICK BUILDINGS.
DAVID: I LOVE IT.
>> THAT IS -- YEAH, IT’S GREAT.
I HOPE LEADERS LIKE HER AND THE
NEW GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA, I
MEAN, IT’S A LONG, SLOW PROCESS
BECAUSE LAWS HAVE TO CHANGE AT
THE STATE LEVEL.
AND EVEN GOVERNOR YOUNGKIN,
GOVERNOR-ELECT YOUNGKIN, HE
DOESN’T HAVE NECESSARILY THE
SUPPORT HE MIGHT NEED IN THE
STATE LEGISLATURE: BUT THAT’S
ALL THE MORE REASON FOR PEOPLE
WHO HAVE SEEN THIS -- THE
VOTERS, THE PARTICIPANTS -- GO
OUT, VOTE D PARENTS.
CHANCES ARE IF THEY’RE WITH YOU
ON SCHOOL CHOICE, YOU’RE GOING
TO AGREE ON A LOT OF OTHER
ISSUES TOO.
THAT WILL BE THE CHANGE THAT
COULD CHANGE A LOT OF THINGS IN
THIS COUNTRY.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE 80% OF
PARENTS, YOU HAVE GOT A LOT OF
DEMOCRATIC PARENTS, A LOT OF
REPUBLICAN PARENTS, A LOT OF ALL
KINDS OF PARENTS WHO BELIEVE
UNTIL SCHOOL CHOICE.
DAVID: YOU DO, INDEED.
>> AND CLEARLY --
DAVID: KWR079 TO COMPLETELY LET
PARENTS OFF THE HOOK BECAUSE SO
MANY PARENTS GOT ACCUSTOMEDDED
TO JUST DROPPING THEIR KIDS OFF,
NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT
THEY’RE DOING.
I MEAN, THEY MIGHT HELP WITH THE
HOMEWORK EVERY NOW AND THEN, BUT
IN TERMS OF PTA MEETINGS, FORGET
ABOUT IT.
VOTING IN SCHOOL BOARD, THEY
WEREN’T REALLY THAT COGNIZANT OF
WHAT THE PROFESSION -- POSITIONS
WERE FOR THE NOMINEES, ETC.
SO PARENTS NEED TO TAKE MORE
ACTION.
AND I THINK --
>> THEY DO.
DAVID: -- THEY ARE TAKING MORE
ACTION.
WHAT MORE COULD PARENTS DO WHO
REALIZE FINALLY THAT THEY
HAVEN’T BEEN SPENDING THE
ATTENTION THEY SHOULD HAVE?
>> WELL, I THINK NOW THAT SO
MANY PARENTS ARE VEALZ -- HAVE
REALIZED HOW BAD THEY ARE, FOR A
LONG TIME PARENTS IN SURVEY, OH,
YEAH, THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH
INNER CITY, GOVERNMENT-RUN
SCHOOLS -- AND THAT’S WHAT THEY
ARE.
WE NEED PEOPLE OTHER THAN
GOVERNMENT RUNNING THE SCHOOLS.
BUT FOR A LONG TIME, THEY DIDN’T
WANT TO BELIEVE THERE WAS A
PROBLEM WITH THEIR OWN
PARTICULAR SCHOOL.
NOW THEY CAN’T SAY THAT ANYMORE.
EVEN BEFORE YOUR STATE HAS
SCHOOL CHOICE, THE KIND WHERE
THE PUBLIC DOLLARS FOLLOW THE
CHILD, IF YOU’RE NOT SATISFIED
WITH YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION,
KIDS DON’T GET A DO-OVER.
YOUR CHILD’S LIFE, THEIR FUTURE
IS AT STAKE.
GO FIND ANOTHER OPTION.
GO TO YOUR PRIVATE SCHOOL, YOUR
CATHOLIC SCHOOL DOWN THE STREET
THAT’S BEEN OPEN.
YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT.
GO TO A MICRO SCHOOL.
CONSIDER HOME SCHOOLING.
THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
OPTIONS, AND THE MORE THAT
PEOPLE EXERCISE THEIR FREEDOM
AND THE MORE THAT PARENTS TAKE
BACK THEIR POWER, THEY ARE THE
FIRST EDUCATORS OF THEIR
CHILDREN.
DAVID: YEAH.
>> CHILDREN COME TO PARENTS, AND
THEY SHOULD BE EXERCISING THEIR
POWER AND AUTHORITY OVER THEIR
EDUCATION.
DAVID: DARLA, YOU KNOW THIS, BUT
I’VE GOT TO GIVE FULL DISCLOSURE
TO MY AUDIENCE, MY DAUGHTER
FIRST WENT TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL
THAT WAS SORT OF TYPICAL UPPER
WEST SIDE SCHOOL.
WE WEREN’T SATISFIED.
WE SENT HER TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL
FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF HER
EDUCATION IN TOOL HIGH SCHOOL --
IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND IT WAS MUCH
CHEAPER THAN WHAT THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS CHARGE TAXPAYERS FOR
TEACHING, AND THEY STAYED OPEN
FOR THE MOST PART.
AND NOW THE SUPREME COURT HAS
ALLOWED PUBLIC MONIES OR HAS
SAID THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO
USE PUBLIC MONIES FOR PAROCHIAL
SCHOOLS IF YOU WANT TO.
BUT THERE AREN’T ENOUGH TO GO
AROUND.
VERY QUICKLY, WHAT DO WE DO
ABOUT THAT?
YOU’VE ONLY GOT 20 SECONDS.
>> I BELIEVE THAT IF WE GOT OPEN
SCHOOL CHOICE AND IN PLACES
WHERE YOU DO HAVE MORE ROBUST
SCHOOL CHOICE, YOU ATTRACT NEW
SUPPLIERS.
YOU AWE TRACT -- ATTRACT ALL THE
INNOVATIVE MINDS IN AMERICA.
WHEN YOU START DIG AROUND OUT
THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
DOING INTERESTING THINGS.
$5,000 A STUDENT TO EDUCATE,
SOMEBODY I WAS TALKING TO LAST
WEEK HE AND ANOTHER FAMILY
STARTED WHAT’S CALLED THE
THREEFOLD SCHOOL IN PENNSYLVANIA
BECAUSE THEY WEREN’T HAPPY WITH
THEIR GOVERNMENT-RUN SCHOOL.
SO THERE ARE OPTIONS, AND YOU
WILL ATTRACT INNOVATORS AND NEW
SUPPLIERS.
I TOTALLY BELIEVE THAT.
I KNOW IT’S TRUE BECAUSE IT’S
ALREADY HAPPENING.
DAVID: DARLA ROMFO DOING GOD’S