What Joe Biden Said About Charter Schools During the Campaign | Diane Ravitch's blog

What Joe Biden Said About Charter Schools During the Campaign | Diane Ravitch's blog

What Joe Biden Said About Charter Schools During the Campaign

Joe Biden was very clear about his position on privately managed charter schools during the campaign.

In this video, he was asked by Lily Eskelsen Garcia what he would do about charter schools, and his position was clear: Charter schools should not be funded at the expense of public schools. No federal funds for privately funded charter schools. Charter schools should be subject to the oversight and governance of school boards. Charter schools should be held to the same standards of transparency and accountability as public schools.

Will he keep his promises?

What Joe Biden Said About Charter Schools During the Campaign | Diane Ravitch's blog

Dr. Evil versus Lily and the teacher unions. – Fred Klonsky

Dr. Evil versus Lily and the teacher unions. – Fred Klonsky

DR. EVIL VERSUS LILY AND THE TEACHER UNIONS

We’re still waiting to hear from the Biden administration as to their pick for Education Secretary.

The delay could reflect the debate within the Democratic Party between the corporate education reformers like Democrats for Education Reform and the large teacher unions like the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.

Former NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia has frequently been mentioned for the job.

Whoever gets the job has their work cut out for them in rolling back the four years of Betsy DeVos’ attack on public education.

Leading the charge on a pro-public school, pro-teacher union education secretary is CONTINUE READING: Dr. Evil versus Lily and the teacher unions. – Fred Klonsky

Focus on union leader as Biden searches for education secretary - The Washington Post

Focus on union leader as Biden searches for education secretary - The Washington Post

Focus on union leader as Biden searches for education secretary

At least a dozen names have been batted around as possible secretaries of education for President-elect Joe Biden, with no clear choice emerging. But one woman in particular is the subject of intense lobbying, both pro and con.

Lily Eskelsen García, who stepped down as president of the National Education Association in September, has been endorsed by groups including the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which notes that she would be the first Latina to serve in the position.

But García also is facing attacks from advocates for children with disabilities as well as from supporters of education reform policies that were popular in the Obama administration but have fallen out of favor in the Democratic Party.

The jockeying comes as the Biden transition team works to settle on an education nominee who will satisfy teachers and their unions while not alienating Democrats in the reform camp.

“The challenge for the Biden administration will be to appoint a secretary who is supportive of teachers and their unions but not opposed to innovation and change,” said Pedro Noguera, the dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

While public attention is fixed on García, several people familiar with the transition discussions say that she is not a front-runner and that there is no consensus internally about who should get the nod.

Several people said Biden would like to choose a woman of color, as he works to assemble a diverse Cabinet. And Biden, a union supporter, told teachers unions during the campaign that he would choose someone who has been an educator, raising expectations of K-12 teachers that he would choose  CONTINUE READING: Focus on union leader as Biden searches for education secretary - The Washington Post

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary

Latino lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden transition team Monday night urging the president-elect to nominate Lily Eskelsen García.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is lobbying President-elect Joe Biden to nominate Lily Eskelsen García for Education secretary, substantially boosting the pack of supporters who are stumping for the former president of the country's biggest teacher's union.

Led by Hispanic Caucus chair Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Latino lawmakers sent a letter to the Biden transition team Monday night urging the president-elect to name Eskelsen García. The missive marks the Hispanic Caucus' first cohesive push for Eskelsen García, who is backed by a coalition of more than 40 Latino advocacy groups.

“Lily’s long record of accomplishments, working across the political divide, and building and maintaining constituencies would make her an excellent Secretary of Education," says the letter, first provided to POLITICO. "Her relationships in Congress also position her well for confirmation."

Eskelsen García is considered a top contender for the position, and the Hispanic Caucus endorsement comes as some members have expressed concern about the absence of a Latina in Biden’s Cabinet picks to date.

“... not only would President-elect Biden fulfill a campaign process to nominate an educator as Secretary of Education by putting Lily’s name forward; he would make history by nominating the first Latina ever to serve in this role,” says the letter, signed by 23 members.

Latino lawmakers have pointed to Eskelsen García’s experience in education, from her start as a school cafeteria worker to Utah teacher of the year, before CONTINUE READING: Hispanic caucus backs former teacher’s union chief for Education secretary - POLITICO

Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post

As the December 04, 2020, Politico reports, former National Education Association (NEA) president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, is seriously pursuing President-elect Biden’s nod for next US secretary of education.

Eskelsen Garcia earned her BS in elementary education in 1980 and her MEd in instructional technology in 1985, both from the University of Utah. She taught at Orchard Elementary School (Utah) from 1980-1990, and was selected as the Utah Teacher of the Year in 1989. The next year, in 1990, Eskelsen Garcia ran as a write-in candidate for Utah Education Association (UEA) president and won. She exited the classroom at that time and was UEA president for nine years, until 1999. In 1998, Eskelsen Garcia ran for the Utah House of Representatives and gave a close showing of it, earning 45% of the vote as a Democrat and losing to Republican incumbent, Merrill Cook.

During her time as UEA president, in 1996, Eskelsen Garcia also served at the national level on the National Education Association’s (NEA) executive committee. Her career as NEA leadership contiued with a steady rise, from secretary treasurer (2002-2008), to vice president (2008-2014), to president (2014-2020). Eskelsen Garcia’s time as NEA president officially ended when newly-elected Becky Pringle took office on Septemner 01, 2020. After serving two three-year terms, Eskelsen Garcia did not run in 2020.

As she pursues Biden’s approval for US ed sec nomination, Eskelsen Garcia has several qualities in her favor. First of all, she was a classroom teacher. In July 2020, Biden said he would “make sure the secretary of education… is a teacher.” Eskelsen Garcia spent a decade in the classroom and is a bonafide classroom teacher, and not one who appeared merely for a year or two (or less) with the ulterior motive of padding a politcal or administrative career CONTINUE READING: Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Ex-teacher’s union boss makes play to be Biden’s Education chief - POLITICO

Ex-teacher’s union boss makes play to be Biden’s Education chief - POLITICO

Ex-teacher’s union boss makes play to be Biden’s Education chief

Lily Eskelsen García is courting key Hispanic groups and even GOP senators.

The former president of the nation's largest teachers union is working to lock up support from Republican senators and Hispanic leaders in her bid to be picked as Education secretary, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Lily Eskelsen García is expected to score the backing of more than 40 Hispanic groups finalizing a letter endorsing her for the position this week. She has also strategized in recent weeks with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the retiring chair of the Senate committee that oversees education and himself a former Education secretary.

We’ve talked with her and gave her advice on how to get bipartisan support,” said David Cleary, Alexander’s chief of staff and veteran of education policy on Capitol Hill. “There’s a good argument to be made for Lily.”

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a collection of more than 40 Hispanic groups who have coalesced around Eskelsen García, are set to deliver their letter to the Biden team on Thursday or Friday.

Eskelsen García, who until this summer was president of the 3 million-member National Education Association, has also had conversations with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to build support for her nomination, according to a person familiar with those discussions. She would be the first Latina Education secretary if selected and currently serves as secretary of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

The former union president is one of many potential Cabinet nominees jockeying for positions as President-elect Joe Biden builds out the leadership ranks of his administration. While most of those hopefuls, like Eskelsen García CONTINUE READING: Ex-teacher’s union boss makes play to be Biden’s Education chief - POLITICO

Jill Biden to teacher unions: "With AFT and NEA's help, we won this election"

Jill Biden to teacher unions: "With AFT and NEA's help, we won this election"

Jill Biden To Teacher Unions: “With AFT And NEA’s Help, We Won This Election”

The winner of the most-hated member of the Trump administration’s cabinet may be the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Her strongly conservative ideas on public and private education have greatly agitated the union-supporting Democrats who are in charge of our country’s schools.

SEE ALSO: “Numbers don’t lie”: GA secretary of state announces certification of election results today

Once Joe Biden’s administration comes into power, you can kiss school choice goodbye. Betsy DeVos made it her mission to increase school choice, especially for underprivileged children trapped in failing schools. This is the last thing teacher unions want. Teacher unions want families under their thumb, left with no options for which might work best for their children and families. The union leaders want power from the top down where one size fits all and the federal government knows what is best for school children across the country, not local parents and teachers in each community. This speaks directly to the differences between conservatives and liberals (or socialists and Marxists).

The teacher unions have become a political fundraising branch of the Democrat Party. Teachers allegedly teach all students without a political agenda on display though we know that is not true. Presidential candidates running on the Democrat ticket know that they must have the support of the union leadership in order to win elections. This year both ATF (American Teacher Foundation) and NEA (National Education Association) take credit for working so diligently for Joe Biden’s election. Jill Biden held a video conference call with all the players to thank them for their hard work and support. A Twitter thread was created about the video call and it is as cringeworthy as any conservative person would expect. CONTINUE READING: Jill Biden to teacher unions: "With AFT and NEA's help, we won this election"

Schools Matter: New Secretary of Education Sweepstakes

Schools Matter: New Secretary of Education Sweepstakes

New Secretary of Education Sweepstakes

Joe Biden's team (Dr. Jill and who else) will be choosing a new Secretary of Education. Of those listed, who's your pick?  If you say Randi (Rhonda) or Lily, your comment will not be posted. 

From WaPo:

Under Secretary Betsy DeVos, the Education Department has rolled back some civil rights protections as well as Obama-era efforts to hold for-profit colleges accountable for poor outcomes. She’s promoted alternatives to public schools and tried to slash federal funding for education. Biden is expected to reverse all of that, with more money for K-12 and higher education, new and revived civil rights protections and a focus on racial equity.

Biden has said he will name a public school educator as secretary of Education, a stab at DeVos, who had no experience with public schools. Many expect that to be someone from the K-12 world. Among those talked about for the job include a handful of big-city school superintendents, such as Sonja Santelises from Baltimore, Janice Jackson from Chicago or Seattle’s Denise Juneau.

Potential picks: CONTINUE READING: 

Schools Matter: New Secretary of Education Sweepstakes

America Might Not Know Biden’s Choice for US Ed Sec Until January | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

America Might Not Know Biden’s Choice for US Ed Sec Until January | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

America Might Not Know Biden’s Choice for US Ed Sec Until January

Given President-elect Joe Biden’s “deliberative approach” in choosing his Cabinet, it seems that his selection for US ed sec may well follow the January 05, 2021, runoff elections for the two US Senate seats in Georgia.

If Democrats are tied with Republicans for the number of Senate seats– which can only happen if both Georgia Democratic contenders, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, win their races– then as president of the Senate, Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris becomes the decisive vote, thus giving Democrats de facto control.

Whether the Senate is controlled by Republicans or Democrats may well determine who, exactly, Biden is able to have confirmed in his Cabinet, including in the position of US ed sec.

Both former National Education Association (NEA) president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, and current American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president, Randi Weingarten, have been in the news as potential candidates for US ed sec. However, I think it is a bad idea for Biden to choose either Eskelsen Garcia or Weingarten because they have both had lengthy careers in national union leadership, which would make it seem that the position of US secretary of education is little more than an extension of a national teachers union. California State Board of Ed president, Linda Darling-Hammond was also mentioned as a contender (and is also heading Biden’s education transition team, which she did for Obama in 2008); however, Darling-Hammond has clearly removed her name from consideration.

Biden could choose from any number of state education superintendents, which may or may not lead to someone with a solid history as a classroom teacher. There is also the possibility of Biden selecting someone with a higher ed background, a door apparently left open by CONTINUE READING: America Might Not Know Biden’s Choice for US Ed Sec Until January | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

AFT's Weingarten Not Ruling Out Becoming Education Secretary | News of the Week | thechiefleader.com

AFT's Weingarten Not Ruling Out Becoming Education Secretary | News of the Week | thechiefleader.com

AFT's Weingarten Not Ruling Out Becoming Education Secretary

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, considered a leading candidate to become Secretary of Education when President-elect Joe Biden takes office next Jan. 20, said Nov. 11 that she looked forward to working with the administration in her current job—but stopped short of a Shermanesque declaration that she would turn down the cabinet post if it were offered.

"I'm honored by the mention, and I'm very, very happy to be working with the Biden Administration as president of the AFT," she said in a phone interview. "I love my job and I'm happy that we'll be dealing with an administration that's pro-worker, pro-family, pro-opportunity, pro-equality, pro-justice and pro-education."

Ex-NEA Leader Lily Eskelsen Garcia in Running?

The New York Times had identified Ms. Weingarten and Lily Eskelsen Garcia, who earlier this year stepped down as president of the National Education Association, as the two leading contenders to replace Trump Administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose policies have been harshly criticized by both women. The NEA is the nation's largest union of educators, with 2.29-million members, and the AFT represents 1.7 million.

"There's lots of things to do, with the needed cleaning-up of the mess DeVos created on school loans, dealing with COVID, a real review of what accountability should look like that's about more than testing, and securing resources for social and emotional learning," Ms. Weingarten said.

Referring to Jill Biden's pledge that she will continue to teach after moving into the White House, the CONTINUE READING: AFT's Weingarten Not Ruling Out Becoming Education Secretary | News of the Week | thechiefleader.com

Is former Utah teachers leader slated for Education post for Biden? - Deseret News

Is former Utah teachers leader slated for Education post for Biden? - Deseret News

Is former Utah teachers leader slated for Education secretary in Biden administration?

Politico speculates the former NEA and UEA president is a contender for Secretary of Education

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utahn Lily Eskelsen Garcia, who recently concluded six years as president of the nation’s largest teachers union, is considered a contender for Education secretary in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, according to Politico.

The Washington-based website and newspaper that focuses on American politics says Eskelsen Garcia, Utah Education Association president in the 1990s, is “an early favorite for the position.”

“Biden has committed to putting a public school teacher atop the Department of Education, a pledge that has encouraged unions and public education advocates alike, and is seen as a hard rule within the transition team. Given Biden’s close ties to organized labor, there is also a widespread expectation that he wants to put a union official or someone with union ties in his cabinet,” according to Politico.

Eskelsen Garcia, a former elementary school teacher in Utah and former president of the NEA, which claims 3 million members, checks off both boxes.

“Having a secretary of Education who has been a boots-on-the-ground classroom teacher who knows how policies make their way to the classrooms and into the lives of our students and into the working conditions of our teachers, that is just so exciting to me and CONTINUE READING: Is former Utah teachers leader slated for Education post for Biden? - Deseret News

Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet INCLUDING SECRETARY OF EDUCATION - POLITICO

Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet - POLITICO

Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet

The president-elect is expected to nominate a mix of progressives, moderates and even a few Republicans as he seeks to satisfy a broad coalition.

In the next two and half months, Joe Biden needs to build a governing team to help him tackle an historic pandemic and rebuild the economy — all while winning approval from what's likely to be a Republican-controlled Senate and holding together an unruly coalition of Democrats.

It's a task that will be nearly impossible to pull off.

The Biden transition team has been vetting potential candidates for months and will present the president-elect with potential choices in the coming days. Biden is expected to focus first on posts involving public health and the economy, including the secretaries of the Treasury and Health and Human Services, along with West Wing personnel. The former vice president intends to be deliberative and is not likely announce Cabinet nominations in the first week, according to an official close to the Biden team.

The president-elect will face incoming on several fronts, including from Democrats who expect him to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history. That goal is not always compatible with the push from the party's vocal left wing to nominate the most progressive Cabinet since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Wall Street and Silicon Valley interests that poured money into Biden's campaign over the final stretch have a different set of priorities. So do Senate Republicans, at least a handful of whom Biden will need to confirm his nominees, if, as seems likely, the GOP maintains control of the chamber.

Biden can make history by nominating a person of color or a woman to head the Treasury or Defense departments — the only two remaining departments that have only ever had white men lead them.

Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of Defense for policy, is already the frontrunner to lead the Pentagon. A number of women and people of color are also in the mix for the top job at Treasury, including Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard and TIAA CEO Roger Ferguson.

Biden, who pledged to unite the country during the campaign, will likely try to keep his coalition together by nominating a mix of progressives, moderates and CONTINUE READING: Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet - POLITICO

EDUCATION

LILY ESKELSEN GARCIA

Elementary school teacher; former president of the National Education Association

---

Biden has committed to putting a public school teacher atop the Department of Education, a pledge that has encouraged unions and public education advocates, alike, and is seen as a hard rule within the transition team. Given Biden’s close ties to organized labor, there is also a widespread expectation that he wants to put a union official or someone with union ties in his Cabinet.

Both of those factors have made Lily Eskelsen Garcia, an elementary school teacher and the immediate past president of the NEA, an early favorite for the position. Garcia is a former Utah “teacher of the year” and got her start in schools as a lunch lady in the cafeteria.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, is also frequently mentioned as a contender although she would likely prompt strong Republican opposition on both policy and political grounds. Weingarten is a former high school history teacher and an attorney who previously served as counsel to the president — and then president — of the United Federation of Teachers. She backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid earlier this year but has more recently been campaigning for Biden across the country.

Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford professor of education and president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, is also in the mix. Darling-Hammond led Barack Obama’s education policy transition team in 2008 and was widely seen as a possible choice for Education secretary at the time.

— Megan Cassella

RANDI WEINGARTEN

President of the American Federation of Teachers; former president of New York City’s AFT Local 2

LINDA DARLING-HAMMOND

Education professor emeritus at Stanford University; president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute

 Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet - POLITICO

A Union President to Head the Department of Education? It Could Happen – Intercepts

A Union President to Head the Department of Education? It Could Happen – Intercepts

A Union President to Head the Department of Education? It Could Happen

Last week Politico reported on a memo by the DC lobbying firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck regarding what a Biden presidency might look like and whom he could pick for various Cabinet posts.

The firm admits the memo is “highly speculative,” and it doesn’t provide any analysis of why certain candidates are favored, but merely recites their background and history.

When it comes to the three possible appointees to become U.S. Secretary of Education, the memo is both on target and way off.

The misfire is suggesting former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for the post. Buttigieg will likely serve in a Biden administration, but not here. Biden promised delegates to the National Education Association Representative Assembly last year he would name a teacher to the job. Buttigieg has never been a teacher, and Biden would not renege on this promise when it is such an easy one to fulfill.

A more likely choice is one of the other two names in the memo: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and former National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García.

Either one would satisfy the union lobby, regardless of whatever education policies ultimately emerged from a Biden presidency. It would also answer CONTINUE READING: A Union President to Head the Department of Education? It Could Happen – Intercepts

NEA Elects Pringle, Moss and Candelaria to Leadership - NEA Today

NEA Elects Pringle, Moss and Candelaria to Leadership - NEA Today

NEA Elects Pringle, Moss and Candelaria to Leadership

Becky Pringle, a science teacher from Philadelphia, has been elected president of the National Education Association. Pringle, who served as NEA vice president for six years, will assume her new duties on September 1. On that date, she becomes not only the leader of the nation’s largest union representing 3 million educators, but also the highest-ranking African American female labor leader.

Joining Pringle on the new NEA leadership team will be NEA Vice President Princess Moss of Virginia and new Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria of Texas. NEA elections are usually conducted in-person at NEA’s Representative Assembly, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year they were held remotely with nearly 6,000 elected NEA delegates casting mail-in ballots. The results were announced at a tele-townhall with RA delegates on Wednesday  hosted by outgoing NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

The delegates also reelected Hanna Vaandering, an elementary physical education teacher from Ridgewood Elementary in Beaverton, Ore., to the NEA Executive Committee.

Pringle, Moss, and Candelaria are the “right people at the right time,” Eskelsen García said. “This is an incredible leadership team. They will be the eyes and ears for our membership.”

As Secretary-Treasurer, Candelaria will bring a “wealth of experience and knowledge CONTINUE READING: NEA Elects Pringle, Moss and Candelaria to Leadership - NEA Today

Will the Teachers Take Control? | Dissent Magazine

Will the Teachers Take Control? | Dissent Magazine

Will the Teachers Take Control?
No group is better positioned than organized teachers to force Washington to develop a national plan to deal with the pandemic.

On August 3, 1981, federal air traffic controllers in the United States launched an illegal strike, grounding flights from Guam to Puerto Rico. President Ronald Reagan walked into the Rose Garden that morning to deliver an ultimatum: unless they returned to work within forty-eight hours, the controllers would be fired. While few contemporary observers immediately grasped its significance, that confrontation soon led not only to defeat for the controllers—who were permanently replaced when they defied Reagan’s order—but to disempowerment for American workers generally. Following Reagan’s example, private-sector employers made the 1980s synonymous with strikebreaking and union-busting, initiating a decades-long labor retreat.

We might soon witness a similarly momentous showdown. Today, thirty-nine years to the day after the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) strike began, teachers across the nation are staging a National Day of Resistance demanding safe schools. Their protest is every bit as audacious as the 1981 strike, yet the teachers’ strategy, and the context behind their protest, could not be more different. The differences indicate both how much public-sector unions have learned from history and the crucial role their members are poised to play in pushing our leaders to finally deal seriously with this raging pandemic.

The controllers’ strike, even many of its most ardent supporters later conceded, was poorly conceived. It was an illegal walkout whose most important demand was a large across-the-board wage increase—a demand levied during a recession in which other unions were offering concessions. PATCO not only challenged a popular president, it made no effort to cultivate allies even in the AFL-CIO, after alienating union leaders by endorsing Reagan’s election a year earlier. Controllers believed they could win their fight alone—that they would CONTINUE READING: Will the Teachers Take Control? | Dissent Magazine

Pandemic Shows How Important Unions Are | Blog For Iowa

Pandemic Shows How Important Unions Are | Blog For Iowa

Pandemic Shows How Important Unions Are

AFT Leader Randi Weingarten discusses reopening schools: (6.5 minutes)

Thursday we got this email from the Abby Finkenauer campaign:

I’m Ken Sagar, retired president of the Iowa Federation of Labor. But today I’m not here to give you an update on labor issues around the state, I’m here to support my friend, long-time labor ally Abby Finkenauer.

While I was at the AFL-CIO, we eagerly supported her first run in 2018. And although I’m no longer working for a union, I can still testify to her dedication to workers in Iowa.

She didn’t just make promises, she went out and got results for all of us.

Now it’s our turn to help her. Abby’s up against a tight deadline — and we need to rally around her. She needs to raise $5,328 before midnight tomorrow to hit her end-of-July Ad Fund goal. Making a contribution today is directly supporting a pro-labor agenda. Click here. 

Abby’s father was a union pipefitter-welder. She didn’t learn about working Iowans’ issues second-hand. She learned about them by living them — CONTINUE READING: Pandemic Shows How Important Unions Are | Blog For Iowa