Big difference in candidates' education plans

"Here's the biggest difference between the education plans of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama: $18 billion," writes Nanette Asimov in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article. That's how much more Democrat Obama says he'd spend than Republican McCain to transform schools, from quadrupling the number of kids eligible for public preschool programs to strengthening long-neglected science education. Obama claims he can implement his long list of reforms without raising the federal deficit."

What about McCain?

"McCain's package would add less than $1 billion to the education budget," Asimov says. "His message is about doing more with the nearly $70 billion in federal education funding already flowing to California and the other states: giving principals more say over funds while redirecting cash to online schools, home schools and tuition vouchers." (To read the full article, which details the two contrasting plans, click here.)

While the presidential candidates rarely talk about education in debates and speeches, they clearly have different ideas. And for anyone with young children this is an important issue. What do you think of the candidates' education plans? Who will you vote for?