WATERLOO, Ill. – Republican candidate for Governor Paul Schimpf says the State of Illinois should require public schools to enforce curriculum transparency in order to qualify for state education funding. The increased transparency, part of Schimpf’s “A New Start to Illinois” plan, would allow parents to know what their children are being taught and provide a new layer of transparency for Illinois taxpayers.
“Taxpayers deserve to know how their dollars are being spent and that includes the tax dollars that go into schools, but even more so, parents deserve to know what their children are being taught,” Schimpf said. “I don’t support the state controlling what’s being taught in the classroom, but it’s imperative that parents can, at a bare minimum, fully understand what their kids are being taught. In many cases, kids spend more time with their teachers than with their parents during the week. As a parent myself, we have a right to curriculum transparency and educators have an obligation to keep parents informed.”
Under Schimpf’s plan, every school district in the state must “open the books” on Pre-K through 12th Grade curriculum if they wish to receive state funding. Schimpf’s campaign introduced a comprehensive “Illinois Parents Bill of Rights,” which states, “Parents, not the government, have the authority and responsibility to raise their children to the best of their ability in accordance with their values.”
Curriculum transparency and parental rights are core tenants of Schimpf’s “A New Start for Illinois” plan. Other pillars include a “No Tax on Tax” constitutional amendment, adding law enforcement and first responders as a protected class under the Illinois Hate Crimes Law, creating safeguards to protect against new state fees and penalties, and limiting tax assessors’ power to increase property value assessments.
About Paul Schimpf: Paul Schimpf served as a State Senator for the 58th Senate District, is a Marine Corps Veteran who serviced in Iraq, and served as the chief American attorney advisor to Iraqi prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Paul and his family live in rural Monroe County.