[speaker001:] well seems to me that part of the problem with public education may just be the wide disparity in what's being offered I don't know what you've experienced
[speaker002:] uh-huh  um I agree I think that our education system needs revamped I and I think a lot of the ways they're going about it are not going to work I don't think just shoveling more money into the education system is the answer um I know that here they keep saying oh we need more money and more money and more money but I don't think I don't think that's the answer I think we need to take a different approach to how we go about it um are you familiar at all with the voucher system
[speaker001:] I've heard of it
[speaker002:] um I'm in favor of that I think that you know every parent I think if we were given so much money in a voucher and we're able to choose which schools to take our children to I think that would put competition between the schools and give the teachers some incentives to make you know to do a better job and the principals to have their schools being better and and I think it would put a lot of pressure that's needed on the education uh folks so that they would you know do better rather than just getting into their jobs and getting their tenure and not having to put forth a lot I don't know what do you think about that
[speaker001:] well part of the deal is uh in addition to the public schools there're all these other alternatives such as the private schools and the religious schools and the home schooling and
[speaker002:] uh-hum uh-huh
[speaker001:] some of these other options that uh that people are looking at but uh to ensure that everyone has a chance the public education system has got to do the job
[speaker002:] right right I know around here um the home school is an option the only the only private school I think there's probably one well there may be two private schools for the elementary age kids and they are you know down in Salt Lake so for me that's not really an option are there very many private schools there in Dallas
[speaker001:] well there're a number of them what happens is we have a number of school districts and those school districts that are considered quality people stay in those school districts that are not quality people who can afford them opt out and are going to the private schools or the schools that are sponsored by by the one of the religions
[speaker002:] oh uh-huh so see then that does put a little bit more um pressure on your public schools to perform what happens to those schools where nobody wants to go to
[speaker001:] well there's always people end up going to schools who can't afford to go anywhere else
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] who will end up still going to that particular school
[speaker002:] oh
[speaker001:] and and can't opt out because they don't have the money to
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] go to private schools private schools here are very expensive
[speaker002:] oh uh-huh and how about the religious are they expensive or what
[speaker001:] I I don't know much about the religious schools about the only really religious schools around here are the ones operated by the Catholic Church but it seems
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] that the private schools uh get the greater share of people than the religious schools do
[speaker002:] oh huh does it what do you think about the salaries that our education um that that the teachers and and such make how are they down there do the teachers feel pretty good about them or are they
[speaker001:] well well you know salaries for teachers I think are low everywhere um most teachers never end up making much money
[speaker002:] no not
[speaker001:] if you're if you're good in an area and are not dedicated you can make far more money being in that area rather than teaching in that area
[speaker002:] do you have year around school
[speaker001:] no do you
[speaker002:] they don't uh they do in this area
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] my children don't go to it but they were talking about starting it next year but there's quite a few schools around here that have the year around school um
[speaker001:] well they've been talking about that a few school districts are going to start experimenting with that but it hasn't really gotten going yet
[speaker002:] oh oh I'm I'm not sure I think that's the answer either do do a lot of the teachers there that teach during the the winter months then have summer jobs
[speaker001:] um as far as I know they're doing something else but I don't know
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] specifically you know what they are doing
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] of course if if it interrupted it here then it would mess up lots of sports and camps and other things that rely on that
[speaker002:] and
[speaker001:] you know long vacation period
[speaker002:] right yeah that's kind of the situation here because a lot of there's a lot of farming it's kind of a we live in a farming and a fruit you know area and and those the older kids at least when they get junior high and high school age are needed to to help out with those kind of jobs and so they don't do it with the junior high or the high school uh age kids it's just done on the elementary basis so far here but I don't know there's there's a lot of questions a lot of concerns I think our education system um is a good one I really do I think it it it's a