Dear Friend:
Today, I announce my intention to seek the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
As your next State Superintendent of Public Instruction, I start with a simple proposition: the quality of life in our state is directly tied to the quality of education.
This is not a time to silently rest on our laurels while public education is whittled away. In the last 13 months, thousands of teachers were fired, valuable programs were cut and school funding was recklessly slashed. There is a war on Public Education– it must be hard-fought and it must be won.
North Carolina students, teachers and parents deserve a fighter. From the time I took legislative office in 2001, I have been an effective champion for public education. I wrote, and helped pass, hundreds of pieces of progressive education legislation all designed to give public schools the foundation needed to afford every child a sound education.
I spearheaded the Anti-Bullying Bill, sponsored the Science Olympiad, and created a bill for a pilot program to teach our children foreign languages, like Chinese, ensuring our students can compete in high-speed economic arenas. I wrote new laws for exceptional students, tackled teacher retention and recruitment, and streamlined school testing.
I served on the Education Committee (K-12) and chaired the House Appropriations Committee on Education, where North Carolina saw the largest increase of per pupil spending in years. What a difference 13 months make. Today, North Carolina is 49th in the nation in per pupil spending. Only Mississippi spends less.
Public schools make a difference- one classroom at a time, one teacher at a time, one child at a time.
My children are kinder, wiser, better human beings because of their public schools. I am a state representative, lawyer, and college professor because of public schools, and I am the leader who can stand up and challenge those who seek to abandon public education.
I have a long and successful record of fighting for professional educators, protecting students, uniting parents and enacting rigorous standards for a 21st century global education for our children.
Public Education deserves a fighter. I ask for your prayers, support and enthusiasm to become your next State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Warmest regards,
Rick Glazier
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