Q. The Obama administration has committed $4.35 billion for education reform through its Race to the Top program. It’s not clear yet if Illinois will qualify for this money. Please give us your views on how to improve public education in the U.S. and in this state. Do you support performance pay for teachers? Charter schools?

A. I support charter schools and merit pay for teachers but I believe that the responsibility for education should essentially be left to the states and local communities. I also support vouchers and any other means to provide competition to the current system of tenure and intransigence that currently plagues our education system. I firmly believe in school choice and believe that every child should have the choice of attending any school for which they qualify academically, either public or private. In areas where kids are given vouchers to attend private schools, the kids who get the vouchers get a better education and increased competition forces the public schools to provide a better education also. It is a win-win situation for all involved.