Democratic congressional hopeful talks education

College tuition.

If those two words don't make you cringe, it's likely you're either not the parent of a child who will one day pursue a higher education or you're so well off financially that forking over tens of thousands of dollars a year is as easy as whipping out the checkbook.

St. Charles mom Jane Shelton doesn't fall into either of those categories.

"It's ridiculous. It will cost $1 million to send my kids to college," she told a small group of friends and neighbors gathered in her living room to hear Democratic congressional candidate Jotham Stein detail his plans on how the federal government can reform education.

Stein, a St. Charles attorney, wants to increase federal student grants and scholarships and allow college graduates the opportunity to pay off student loans in four years by joining the military or otherwise serving the public.

He also advocates appointing a bipartisan commission of educators to recommend improvements to the disparaged No Child Left Behind Act before federal lawmakers consider renewing it.

"We have a culture of teaching to the test in our schools -- teaching children how to memorize … not how to think," Stein said.

Stein faces three others seeking the Democratic nomination for the 14th Congressional District: Geneva scientist Bill Foster, second-time candidate John Laesch of Newark and Joe Serra of Geneva. The primary is Feb. 5.

All are vying to replace former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Plano Republican who resigned Monday.

Foster campaign spokesman Tom Bowen pointed to Foster's participation in the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence, a charity that raises money for the Batavia School District, as evidence of his commitment to schools.

"As a parent who raised his family in this district for 22 years, Bill Foster is extremely concerned about improving our schools and he did something about it by joining and working with the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence," Bowen said.

Laesch echoed Stein's concerns that No Child Left Behind overemphasizes standardized tests to the detriment of real learning.

"It doesn't allow for the teacher to find students' full potential," Laesch said of the federal law. "That's my biggest criticism other than it's an unfunded mandate."

He also is calling on the federal government to spend more money on education.

Serra supports abolishing No Child Left Behind, saying it simply isn't working.

"It's really having the opposite effect of what (President Bush) intended it to have," Serra said. "There are a lot of children actually being left behind."