Cavaretta for State Senate's 10 Point Plan for Accountable and Local Education Reform

• As a certified MA teacher himself, Dean feels instead of squandering public monies (millions) at the expense of the next generation, the Legislature needs to make smarter state investments in public and higher education that will help create new jobs, and keep the best and brightest living here.

• Dean will make sure the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education doesn't replicate Washington's one-size-fits-all, mixing of school districts that have punished high-performing ones (like ours) for not meeting their own achievement and accountability goals. As State Senator, Dean Cavaretta will advocate for local control and "earned autonomy" from mandates, unnecessary regulations and reporting requirements.

• Support the immediate implementation of a MCAS exam for U.S. History because learning about America's Founders and U.S. Constitution must remain a core subject for our kids.

• Dean will remove or ease the new and costly unfunded mandate in public education: Rising professional development and tuition costs unfairly absorbed by teachers and local taxpayers/municipalities.

• Dean will file legislation to give local boards and communities much more control and flexibility over Regional Agreements and School Building Assistance funds.

• Dean will proudly showcase "best practices" with our leading charter, vocational and private schools for the rest of the Commonwealth to follow.

• End the political "guessing game" of Chapter 70 distributions that happen every dysfunctional state budget season leaving our schools in the lurch.

Principals and superintendents must wait on Beacon Hill before hiring or laying off teachers for the following school year. In this era of debt downgrades, Dean's idea would have the Legislature appropriate two-year budgets (or allocations) that gives our municipalities the ability to better forecast staffing and programs over more than one fiscal year.

• Support Pro Legal Immigration and broad based reforms to help the MA Economy and keep talented students from all backgrounds in the Commonwealth.

• Drastically increase opportunities for our students to work off a portion of MA Student Loans in exchange for public service.

• Make state higher education more affordable by reducing administrative and academic costs and promoting policies that will help students graduate in four years.

To view more of Dean's policy ideas, please visit his Web sites at: www.DeanCavaretta.com and www.MomsAndDadsForDean.com