HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republican Senate nominee Dave McCormick took part in an event in Harrisburg on Thursday centered around school choice.
The event was held by the Black Pastors United for Education at the Rock Church in downtown Harrisburg and was hosted by Pastor Josh Robertson, one of the Commonwealth’s most outspoken advocates for school choice.
McCormick told the audience that he believes the education system is failing students and needs a major change.
"I think we need to shake up the system by giving school choice to every single Pennsylvania kid," McCormick said.
Robertson argued that the lack of school choice affects the life path of young people, to which McCormick agreed.
"What’s the cost of our children not being educated?" McCormick asked. "The cost of them not being skilled? The cost of them not being equipped to deal with society? The cost in crime? The cost in drug use? The cost in unemployment?"
Not mentioned in the event was McCormick's opponent, Senator Bob Casey, who was also invited to the discussion. Casey has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which called him a "tireless advocate" for public education.
McCormick cited lower academic proficiency numbers as a sign that there is a lack of high-quality options for students and that he would join Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina in supporting making philanthropic dollars for scholarships to private schools tax-free.
"That would create a huge flow of dollars into scholarships, into vouchers," McCormick said. "That's one thing you can do at the federal government level.