Following President Obama’s recent speech on education reform, Republicans are scrambling to join-hands-and-sing-praises of peace and bipartisanship while an expanding splinter movement among Democrats has shaken party unity. Popular Senator Mark Warner was one of only two Dems voting keep the DC School Choice program alive. His protégé, current Virginia Governor and next DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, was once on Obama’s short list for Secretary of Education. Toss in a heating Democratic primary race between Terry McAuliffe, Brian Moran, and Creigh Deeds, and—given the next Governor’s potential influence on federal level education policy—you have an exciting race that will have edupolicy wonks across the country tuning in.
Let’s get the party started by reading what each campaign’s website has to say about education. Simply click on the link to go find your way to Edutopia…
Not much to see here, Folks…stick around. The Dems are just getting cranked up. The GOP’s lone-ranger, however, recently went from parking brake to hammer-down…
The Presumptive Republican nominee’s website reads:
“Bob McDonnell will spend 2009 rolling out exciting new policy proposals that are innovative and solve the problems facing Virginia citizens. From transportation to education to health care, Bob McDonnell will build on his record of results with a positive vision for the future. Please keep checking back here for the official policy rollouts from the campaign this coming spring and summer.”
Despite the lack of specifics on his campaign site, McDonnell wasted no time outlining his ideas of education policy with the following statement released after the Obama speech:
“I applaud President Obama for his leadership in lending his support to timely education innovations such as performance pay for teachers, and increased student access to charter schools. He is right to support efforts to reward excellent teachers and allow parents and students reasonable alternatives in their educational development. As this campaign moves forward I look forward to introducing innovative education policy ideas in the near future. I will be focused on supporting parents and students, recognizing excellent teachers, equipping principals with the tools they need, improving financial accountability, getting more resources into the classroom, and making charter schools more accessible for Virginia’s children. I thank President Obama for moving the public education debate forward with his willingness to look at new ideas. I agree with the President that it is time to find new ways to bring greater choice and accountability into our public education system.”
Pretty clear that Bob is not courting the VEA with this statement. However, I know a few moderate Dems in the education circles who will swing to the right based on school reform and education equality. These are real issues, growing more divisive with every election. Democrats had better pay attention.
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