Christopher is a lifelong resident of Taunton, and he currently serving his second term on the Taunton City Council. He is a United States Army veteran, serving 22 years, sixteen years of active duty, and six years in the Army Reserves, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant. After his service, he and his wife, Kari Jackson Coute settled in Taunton.
As a nation, compared to other countries, our Public Schools are mediocre at best. And, in Math and Science, we lag far behind the rest of the world. We need schools to improve greatly if we are going to compete domestically, and abroad. We must expect more from our teachers, and our students collectively. We must also ensure that our parents become major stakeholders in this process. Parents must know what is taught in our schools, and should always have an option to opt their child out of curriculum/material they deem inappropriate. Nationwide, we see parental concerns regarding a myriad of issues, shot down by various School Committees, and politicians. That has to stop immediately! We must also do everything in our power to keep our schools safe and secure.To improve our schools in the classroom and the community, I propose the following policy changes:
Pass legislation that will authorize the use of left-over COVID funds to completely secure our school entryways, and fully fund our school resource officer programs/positions.
Propose a Parents Bill of Rights when it comes to Massachusetts Public Schools.
Support the creation of Charter Schools in regions where the public schools are not meeting Annual Yearly Progress (AYP).
Increase Chapter 70 aid to fully fund the long list of state mandates that put enormous pressure on our local school budgets.