The Louisville Tea Party has developed new education initiatives the group plans to support through fund raising.There are four initiatives on the Louisville Tea Party’s website. They include supporting school choice and charter schools. The party says students should not spend more than 30 minutes on a bus unless parents sign a waiver allowing them to spend extra time being transported.When asked whether the group supports neighborhood schools, president Sarah Durand says the response has been mixed with some supporting the concept and others supporting smaller cluster regions where students can choose from a variety of schools.Finally, Durand says the power to raise taxes should be taken from the school board and placed on a ballot initiative, which would require a change in law. She says the JCPS board should have to make a compelling case to the public for why more money is needed.“They should be able to show us that with increased property taxes and increased spending on education that things are actually improving," she says.On its website, the Louisville Tea Party is also critical of teachers unions, saying they remain a top funder in election cycles.Durand says the group has raised a few thousand dollars toward the education initiative so far.
From the Louisville Tea Party: 1. Parents should have greater ability to determine where their children go to school.
2. Students should not spend more than 30 minutes on a bus to school and from school each day, unless a parent signs a waiver. 3.Raising property taxes should be done through a ballot initiative only, requiring the school board to make a compelling case to voters why more money is needed. 4. Charter schools provide an alternative to traditional public schools and expand educational choices for parents and students.