Homeschooling Mom Running for Senate.

As a mom of two and a person who believes in educational freedom and personal responsibility I was thrilled to find a homeschooling Mom running for Senate. The following article appeared in Foster's Daily Democrat. Senators and Representatives should represent the people of New Hampshire not special interests groups who benefit from New Hampshire's taxpayer dollars. I wish only the best of luck to Kelly Halldorson.


Cathy

New candidate makes it a two-woman race for District 21 Senate

By ADAM D. KRAUSS
akrauss@fosters.com
Article Date: Thursday, June 12, 2008

Kelly Halldorson, Republican candidate for state Senate

DOVER - Her brand of political activism saw her walk from her home to Concord to support a presidential candidate. Now Kelly Halldorson is looking to join the state Senate.

The Dover native plans to file this week as a Republican for the District 21 seat being vacated by three-term Sen. Iris Estabrook, making it a two-woman race with Democrat Amanda Merrill, a former lawmaker who's been working on policy in the House majority office in Concord. The district covers Dover, Durham, Epping, Lee and Rollinsford.

Halldorson wanted to run as an independent, but she learned that left the door open for a Democrat, without a Republican opponent, to find a spot on the ballot under both major parties.

"I'm not a big Washington Republican by any stretch," the 35-year-old mother of three said Monday. "I'm not real thrilled with Bush. I'm anti-war" and she doesn't like it when ex-presidential candidates bash the libertarian Republican movement.

Halldorson gained widespread notoriety after she walked 38 miles from her Silver Street home to Concord to protest the media's treatment of Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas Republican who built an unexpected nationwide following.

But she says the experience didn't inspire her to get more involved.

In fact, she "can't stand politics" - just like she can't stand overregulation or lawmakers not returning a message.

"I really want to get people who want to have that much control over our lives out" of office, she said. "I certainly don't think that's the New Hampshire way. I'm about living free."

Halldorson, who home schools her children, said the Legislature's treatment this year of a home-school bill sponsored by Estabrook caught her attention - first because of attempts to further regulate the industry, second because of the lack of response from legislators. The bill ended "watered down," with a commission set up to examine the state's home-school laws, she said.

"I plan on being one of the most accessible legislators this district has seen," she said. "I will post my cell phone number on my website and promise to respond to every single email I receive from my constituents."

Halldorson said she's not anti-public education, but pro-educational choice. She said she's for local control of schools - not laws like No Child Left Behind that allow schools to be regulated from afar.

Halldorson said her family's struggle to pay heating and medical bills reinforced the need for lawmakers to lower spending. She's also "terrified" at the notion of a sales or income tax.

Halldorson comes to the race with a story rooted in the community. She was raised in a public housing complex primarily by her mother, Ann Grenier, who worked at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. She entered Dover High School an honors student, but dropped out her junior year feeling "failed" by the system. She returned and graduated the next year, in 1992, before spending the next few years traveling the country. When she got back to New Hampshire, she lived in Somersworth for eight years before returning to Dover in 2004.

A freelance web designer, Halldorson never went to college despite an art scholarship. Throughout the years, she's taken courses in metaphysics, world religions and psychology.

She and her husband, Jeff, a Durham native and self-employed contractor, have three children, Wolf, 13, Griffin, 11, and Zoe, 10.

Commentary: McCain right, Obama wrong on school vouchers

The following piece appeared on CNN and can also be found on Roland S. Martin's website.

Vouchers give parents a choice and choice is exactly what the people of Croydon want. The 2008 Croydon Survey results reveal that 43 of the 70 respondents want a choice as to where to send their children. If schools have to vie for Croydon's education tax dollars they will perform better to try to keep those children in their school districts.

Cathy

Commentary: McCain right, Obama wrong on school vouchers

By Roland S. Martin
CNN Contributor

Roland Martin says school vouchers should be an option for families with kids in dead-end schools.

ACCRA, Ghana (CNN) -- "All I want is for my children to get the best education they can."

That statement, along with so many others, has been a consistent one that I've heard on my radio show and in discussions with parents for years, especially those whose children are stuck in inner-city schools with decrepit buildings and a lack of critical resources.

And for the past 20 years, one of the most talked-about solutions for parents stuck in dead-end, failing schools is to give them the option to use vouchers to send their children someplace where they could get a quality education.

Republicans have made vouchers a linchpin of their education overhaul initiatives. Democrats have steadfastly refused, saying it would take vital dollars out of the public school system.

This year's presidential candidates are lining up right along with their parties. Sen. John McCain, the GOP nominee, says vouchers are the right way to go to give parents an option for a better education, while Sen. Barack Obama says the GOP has talked and talked about vouchers, and it hasn't amounted to much more.

But part of the reason why vouchers have been denounced and dismissed is because Democrats have been far too obstinate on the issue, and have not listened to their constituents, especially African-Americans, who overwhelmingly support vouchers.

There is no doubt that on this issue, McCain has it right and Obama has it wrong.

The fundamental problem with the voucher debate is that it is always seen as an either/or proposition. For Republicans, it is the panacea to all the educational woes, and that is nonsensical. For Democrats, it is something that will destroy public education, and that too is a bunch of crap.

I fundamentally believe that vouchers are simply one part of the entire educational pie. There simply is no one sure-fire way to educate a child. We've seen public schools do a helluva job -- I went to them from K through college -- and so have private schools, home schooling, charter schools and even online initiatives. This is the kind of innovation we need, not more efforts to prevent a worthy idea from moving forward.

Obama's opposition is right along the lines of the National Education Association, and the teachers union is a reliable and powerful Democratic ally. But this is one time where he should have opposed them and made it clear that vouchers can force school districts, administrators and teachers to shape up or see their students ship out.

It is unconscionable to ask a parent to watch as his child is stuck in a failing school or district, and ask him to bank on a politician coming up with more funds to improve the situation. Fine, call vouchers a short-term solution to a long-term problem, but I'd rather have a child getting the best education -- now -- rather than having to hope and pray down the line.

McCain and Obama have presented comprehensive education plans, and those are noble. But leaving out vouchers does a tremendous disservice to the parents who are fed up with deplorable schools, and allows school districts to operate with impunity and without any real competition.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning journalist and CNN contributor. He is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." Please visit his Web site at http://www.rolandsmartin.com/.






Quote of the Day "Leaving out vouchers does a tremendous disservice to the parents who are fed up with deplorable schools, and allows school districts to operate with impunity and without any real competition." Roland S. Martin

Long Term School Planning Meeting.

The school planning meeting was to be held last night at Croydon School. The meeting was posted in the paper. Gayle and Wendy felt it was not necessary to meet but Jim went to the meeting because it was posted in the Argus Champion, he wanted to be on hand incase anyone had question. Jim saw a couple leave as he was pulling into the parking lot. If anyone has questions they can contact Jim at george@joltmail.com.

School Planning Meeting

The School Planning meeting will be held today at 6:30p.m. at the Croydon School.

School Board Meeting

School Board Meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Croydon School.

School Planning Meeting

A school planning meeting was scheduled for July 16th and was also posted in the Argus Champion. Jim was the only one who attended that meeting. Last night another meeting was planned Jim and Gayle were the only people to attend. Michelle Caccavaro showed up and mentioned the meeting was to be July 31st, a meeting will be held on July 31st because of the confusion of the date.

It is really important for people to attend this meeting to get the results of the survey. It is important that these survey results are honored by the school board and not over-ruled by special interest groups who will put their interests ahead of the residents of Croydon.

School Board Meeting

A school board meeting has been planned for Monday, July 28th at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Croydon School.