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| Neil T. B. Helgeland |
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| Candidate: Superintendent of Public Instruction |
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| Neil T. B. Helgeland |
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| Age: 76 |
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| Residence: Auburn |
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| Occupation: |
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Educator |
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| Education: |
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B.A., industrial arts and vocational education, Stout Institute |
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| Endorsements: No response |
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| Campaign Web site: None |
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| Campaign theme: Elect Neil, the bloodless revolution guy! |
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| 1. |
Do you support or oppose the proposal to establish charter schools in Washington state? Explain why. |
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I would propose encouraging every school district having more than one elementary school to start one charter school, and only one, to give the minority (conservative or liberal) patrons an opportunity to "show their stuff." This would have a salutary effect because of the collegiality that should accompany the competition for SAT scores. |
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| 2. |
How would you use your office, which has no budget authority, to improve public schools? |
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I would hustle throughout the state to choreograph and facilitate the patrons' efforts to "pick themselves up by their bootstraps." Their innate human spirit is indomitable when it comes to the welfare of their children. (Most of them, still, at least.) |
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| 3. |
Is reform needed in the financing of public schools? If so, what would you propose? |
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Yes, and I would propose going back to square one by redefining basic education to mean the bare foundation for future learning and funding it so that it is categorically free to every child to age 16, as the bottom line. Then, as the state coffers permit, extend free schooling as far as reasonable without compromising the subsidizing of the higher levels of education. |
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