7th November 2016

Dear Next President,

Congratulations on winning the Presidency! You worked hard and won and that must mean you deserve it. Your new job is to represent the United States of America. Because this is your new job I would like to discuss a major issue that must be resolved. One of our countries biggest issues is Education. Some say the issue with many schools is the lack of funding, however I do not believe that funding is directly related to high test scores. According to Startclass.com and the Census Bureau, Arizona spends $7,208 per student and 33.5% of our students are at or above proficient. However, New York spends $19,818 per student and only 33.8% of their students are at or above proficient. This data suggests that funding per student is not the primary factor in the success of students. Yet, politicians still feel the need to throw money at the problem and solve nothing. I believe the only way to improve test scores in areas that do not test well is to direct the money into mentor programs in order to teach students who may not care enough to attend school how to parent their children and the importance of going to school. I believe this will end the negative loop in many so-called “underfunded schools” that are really not underfunded. My mom was a teacher for almost 20 years and I have seen this first hand. I have seen how funding doesn’t improve test scores as the data suggests. It is not okay to waste taxpayer money if it isn’t changing anything or helping anyone. If this change does not come and the negative loop does not stop our country may head to a dangerous place.

Sincerely,

Austin P.1