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House of Delegate candidate Gayle Powell told Crofton Online that, although she has "nothing against private schools," she is opposed to vouchers that would reimburse parents for private school tuition costs. She said, "We should concentrate on making the public school system as good as it can possibly be for all students. If parents choose to take their children out of that system, then that is their choice and they need to find the resources to support that choice ... Taking [state] money and putting it into vouchers would undermine the public school system."
When asked her opinion of the MSPAP (Maryland School Performance Assessment Program, pronounced 'Miss Pap') she said that she supports the goals of the program, such as encouraging thinking skills and problem solving abilities. She told us that "it is difficult to form an opinion" on the actual test itself, because no version of it has ever been released to the public. "I would strongly encourage the state to release an old version of the test," so that the public can examine it and make an informed judgment. "It would really help to see the test."
Powell said that the state must support the local jurisdictions in their efforts to improve education. She emphasized that she will work hard to ensure that Anne Arundel County gets its fair share of education funding. She said that we must work to raise the quality of education statewide to a higher level, not equalize education at a mediocre level. She added that the legislature should not dictate on educational issues such as phonics; decisions about educational matters should be left up to the experts.