Congratulations to our 2015 candidates!
This past election season saw some wins for wonderful pro-public education candidates.
All of the candidates endorsed by Network for Public Education Action oppose the status quo. They have solid records of working for better schools for all children and they challenge those who want to turn our schools into profit-making test centers. We are happy to announce the NPE endorsed candidates that won.
Congratulations to NPE Action’s successful candidates!
Wendy Vogel handily won her seat on Douglas County School Board with 58% of the vote. Wendy is one of the original, founding members of Douglas County Parents, an organization whose goal is to “inform the community on the issues facing our schools and how the destructive policies of the DCSD Board of Education are affecting our children.”
Wendy was one of three candidates who took back the Douglas County School board from the Koch backed team. Her opponent was part of the DCSD board majority that supported the district’s scholarship program, a voucher program funded with district funds.
Wendy Vogel is opposed to the use of vouchers and systems that allow tax dollars to follow students to private schools.
Score 1 for our side!
Helen Gym won a city council-member at large seat in Philadelphia. Helen is a longtime advocate for public education. She is a fighter for students, teachers, and better public schools. She is a founder of the national organization, Parents Across America.
Here is a quote from Councilwoman-Elect Helen Gym’s victory statement:
“Everywhere I went in this campaign, voters demanded a City Council that focused on public education and a growing, sustainable economy for all Philadelphians, especially our most vulnerable. Those voices were heard.These communities that carried me on their shoulders to victory will be walking through the doors of City Hall with me in January. Our work has only just begun.”
Kathleen Gebhardt won in Boulder Valley, Colorado. In his endorsement of Kathleen, Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said:
“If school board members were hired through a normal application process, based on qualifications, Kathy would be hired immediately. No person in the state of Colorado is better qualified for such a position. She has worked tirelessly for two decades to get our children the supports and resources they need for their educations.”
Kathy is a creative and insightful thinker who will be an independent voice on the board.
Suzie Abajian won a seat on the South Pasadena Unified School District Board. As Diane Ravitch wrote, “Dr Suzie Abajian is exactly the kind of person who should run for school board and be elected to serve. She is a well-informed advocate for students and for educational change.”
Jose Lara is a current school board member that NPE also endorsed when he ran for the El Rancho Unified School Board. He describes Suzie as “a champion for students and educators from many years now.” Lara added, “She has been an advocate for equitable funding of public school and maintaining essential programs like Adult Education, music, arts, and expanded Pre-K education.”
The common thread that runs through these candidates is their passion for improving and protecting public education. Being an advocate for public education isn’t something for the faint of heart or for those that need instant gratification. We are often pitted against candidates backed by deep-pocketed vulture philanthropists with limitless bank accounts and narrow agendas. As a result, we often don’t have victories to celebrate.
NPE Action congratulates our other candidates, too!
This election was no exception, and a few of the candidates we endorsed lost their races. We simply can’t match the big money many of our candidates are up against. Three candidates we endorsed for Louisiana’s State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) were in races where their opponents were propped up by $3.5 million dollars from the likes of Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg, and the Waltons.
NPE Action endorsed BESE candidate Jason France wrote that he and the other BESE candidates were outspent “in the 100’s to one range, to fabricate and promulgate lies about us, and to actually adopt OUR platforms to defeat us.”
NPE Action has endorsed two additional candidates for BESE who have run-off elections in the upcoming general election on November 21st. You can read more about them here.
We still have a lot more work to do!
Since we can’t match the kind of spending power unleashed in the BESE election, we must fight back with people power at the ballot box. In future elections it’s not enough for pro-public education allies to just vote. Please seek out candidates that support public ed, and do whatever you can to help out on their campaigns by putting up a sign, canvassing, making phone calls, or donating.
As NPE President Diane Ravitch says, “We are many. There is power in our numbers. Together we will save our schools.”
