Sue Peters is a parent activist who had the courage to run for election to the Seattle school board. The big money bet against her. They were wrong. Sue won, and she won decisively. I am happy to say that she was endorsed by the Network for Public Education, and I hope that our endorsement got her a few extra votes.
Sue wrote a letter to thank the board of the NPE and to describe the tough campaign in which she prevailed. Her victory gives heart to all of us who are pushing back against the corporate reform movement. We will make our public schools stronger and better for all, not by handing them off to private management, but by engaging the public in the work of supporting them.
Dear Diane and members and supporters of the Network for Public Education,
Once again, I am pleased to extend my thanks to you and NPE for your invaluable support and endorsement of my grassroots candidacy for Seattle School Board. I am thrilled to announce that we won – convincingly!
On Election night, we led by 51-48 percent, and that lead has only grown with every new vote tally. We are now approaching a 9-point margin, at 54-45 percent. That is nearly a 14,000-vote lead.
Why Our Win Matters:
This is a victory not only for my campaign, but for communities, families, and educators everywhere who are the key stakeholders in public education, but whose voices are not always heard in the national debate over education reform, or in our own local school district.
This is also a victory for authentic, grassroots democracy. Seattle voters did not allow a small group of moneyed interests to buy this election.
My opponent’s campaign and political action committee (PAC) spent a record-breaking $240,000+, much of it on negative campaigning, most of it bankrolled by a small group of wealthy proponents of corporate ed reform and charter schools.
The PAC attacked my candidacy four times throughout the campaign with progressively more mendacious and offensive mailers. The attacks focused almost entirely on defending the Gates Foundation, in a bizarre and unsuccessful attempt to discredit me, and completely ignored the important issues facing our school district like overcrowding, inequity of resources among our schools, excessive testing and low teacher morale.
This amount of money and such tactics are unprecedented not only in Seattle but Washington State for a school board race.
Thankfully, voters were not fooled by the distortions and diversions.
I am proud of my authentic, fiscally responsible, volunteer-driven campaign, which remained focused on the issues and maintained its integrity.
I am also grateful to everyone who helped us counter the barrage of misinformation, and to those of you who promoted my candidacy personally. I want to particularly thank Dr. Diane Ravitch, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and national education historian, who recognized that my campaign represented a national battle over the integrity and future of public education. Her support gave important legitimacy to our campaign and to my efforts over the years to engage on education issues, as both a journalist and parent.
I believe my near decade of experience with the Seattle Public School District resonated with voters, as well as my clear commitment to keeping the public in public education.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Sue Peters
Parent, journalist, public education advocate,
and Seattle School Board Director-Elect
Reblogged this on Professor Olsen @ Large and commented:
It’s about time.
GREAT news. My view: if we do not push back now and hard, the public schools as we have known them and which have been “THE” true melting pot of America and which has helped build this nation to one of history’s greatest will disappear in the next decade or so. Hope I am wrong and think MAYBE I can help in that. Should know sometime tonight, Tuesday, or very soon as I have applied to take the place for the rest of his term, a school board member recently deceased. Have some ideas of my own in which to fight back but of course do not know if even I will replace the deceased member, let along get the backing to do the things which hopefully MIGHT make a difference.
‘So glad Sue Peters defeated those with “moneyed interests”.
This post did my teacher’s heart good!
Terrific!
great and her piece on Why I am Not for The Status Quo in Public eEducation is still tops on the list to summarize a real reform POV: http://huff.to/g400YN
As someone who worked hard on Sue’s behalf, I’d also like to thank you, Dr.Ravitch and your fine new organization, NPE, for the invaluable work you provided on behalf of Sue Peters.
Your visit here in late September was particularly important. It helped build the morale of our campaign and give voice to so many vital issues.
However, according to the Seattle Times—supposedly the “paper of record” here in the Pacific Northwest—you were never even here in Seattle and hadn’t written a book in years.
There really is a neo-Soviet stench to this absolute refusal to even acknowledge your appearance in our city, particularly when Michelle Rhee, who was here last February, somehow qualified for the type of coverage usually reserved for rock stars and Popes.
Sue won anyway. And it demonstrates what is possible for all of us in this fight. Speak the truth and speak it clearly and assertively.