SNEK POLICY
Education Is a Right. Washington Does Not Need to Run It.
SNEK believes the best society is an educated society. Every child should have access to a high-quality education, but education policy should belong to the states and local communities, not the federal government.
Education is a right
Every child should have access to a strong public education regardless of family income. The purpose is to prepare children to become capable, independent adults.
No federal control of education
Curriculum, academic standards, testing, teacher requirements, school administration, and education policy should be controlled by states and, where appropriate, local districts.
Private school is a private choice
Parents should be free to choose private education, but SNEK does not support using public school funding to pay private tuition. Families choosing private education should cover that cost themselves.
Homeschooling with standards
Parents should be free to homeschool, but states can require reasonable academic standards and evidence that children are actually receiving an education.
Full parental transparency
Parents should have reasonable access to curriculum, textbooks, assigned reading, major instructional materials, academic standards, school policies, significant programs, testing requirements, and financial information.
Teach useful fundamentals
Students should leave school able to read, write, use mathematics, understand basic science, understand American history and civics, manage personal finances, evaluate information, and think critically.
Intervene when schools repeatedly fail
Local control is not permission to fail children indefinitely. States should be able to intervene in persistently failing schools or districts, with the goal of restoring effective local education rather than permanently replacing it.
Pay teachers much more and end tenure
SNEK supports dramatically better teacher compensation to attract high-quality professionals. At the same time, tenure should not create permanent job protection. Bad teachers should be removable through a fair but efficient evaluation and appeal process.
College is not the default definition of success
Schools should seriously present skilled trades, apprenticeships, technical education, community college, entrepreneurship, military service, certifications, direct employment, and traditional university education as legitimate paths.
The SNEK position
Guarantee public education. Put control in the states. Give parents transparency. Pay excellent teachers much more. End tenure. Teach students to become independent adults, not simply future college applicants.
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Why SNEK thinks this
SNEK views education as one of the clearest legitimate public responsibilities because a society of capable, literate, numerate, informed adults benefits everyone. The disagreement is about who should control it. Washington is too far removed from individual schools and communities to be the default education authority.
How it would work
Every child should have access to a strong public education. States should set curriculum frameworks, academic standards, testing, teacher requirements, and accountability systems, with local districts handling day-to-day administration where appropriate. Parents should have access to curriculum and major instructional materials. Teachers should be paid substantially better, while tenure should not make consistently poor performance effectively untouchable. Homeschooling and private schooling remain lawful choices, but public education dollars should stay in the public system rather than funding private tuition.
Where we’re flexible or still working it out
States can differ in how they organize districts, graduation requirements, assessments, teacher certification, and interventions in failing schools. SNEK’s core is not one national curriculum. The settled floor is that children receive a real education, parents receive transparency, and states step in when a local system repeatedly fails students.