Valarie Wilson won the runoff election to be the Democratic candidate for Georgia’s State Superintendent of Education.
The Republican primary was too close to call.
Valarie Wilson was endorsed by the Network for Public Education as a true friend of public schools. Her opponent, Alisha Thomas Morgan, was supported by the hedge fund group Democrats for Education Reform, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, and the pro-voucher American Federation for Children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Which reminds me… somewhat off topic… will the NPE publish a “review of candidates” right before the elections? It would be good to have a quick list to reference before heading to the polls!
Yes! And yet another example where morals beat money. Let’s keep this going in every village, town, ‘burb, city, state & the whole of the U.S.A.! (As I’ve said, WHO’s going to be our candidate for 2016?) Yes WE can, yes we WILL & yes–Georgia–you DID!!!!
Awesome! NPE makes a difference.
Hi Diane,
Here is an update regarding Washington State and the NCLB waiver:
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/07/no-relief-for-washington-schools-under-no-child-left-behind-law/
Regards
This is good news. We should expect more news like this as the public begins to understand the corporate takeover of their schools.
Does this mean voters have woken up? Congrats Valerie. Good wishes for you
going forward.
They’re using “education savings accounts” as a new phrase for vouchers at the Koch- ed reformer meeting in Tennessee.
Who here remembers how they tried to privatize Social Security?
It was “savings accounts” 🙂
I wonder why they’re rebranding vouchers again. They had gone to “scholarships” which I thought was pretty snazzy. Completely deceptive but very catchy 🙂
They keep rebranding vouchers because the public doesn’t want public money flowing to religious schools.
So they rebrand them as “opportunity scholarships” or something else
They’re fine with money to religious schools–until they realize that includes all religions, not just their own. One voucher (or “scholarship” or “savings account”) to an Islamic school and the whole thing will be over, at least here in GA.
Great news. May the good news outweigh the bad on a more regular basis as we gear up for the new school year.
Here’s Arne Duncan giving some political advice:
Arne Duncan @arneduncan · Jul 22
Voters highly value #earlyed & improving public schools – candidates across the spectrum need to pay attention: http://trove.com/me/content/XZ8cn?chid=131611&_p=full-channel-tail%5B2 …];
The poll says voters value IMPROVING public schools, which is exactly what politicians promised when they sold ed reform. Somehow, that translated in DC into REPLACING public schools with a privatized system.
Arne Duncan should take his own advice, or, alternately, ed reformers could start running on what they actually plan to do. I don’t remember anything about creating a “new governance system” or “retaining 5% of public schools” in the 2008 or 2012 elections. Can anyone find the Obama speech on “sector agnostics” or “relinquishing” public schools to private management companies? That isn’t what he said in Ohio.
Good news, keep going.
Ira,
NPE is making a difference.
Thank you, Diane, Ira, NPE, and all the others who so faithfully lead us, day after day, week after week, year after year, even when personal issues take their toll, through this important cause for our children and our nation! WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT ALL OF YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
I agree with everything “A Teacher from Georgia said.”
Fantastic news!!!
This morning in Georgia, we are ECSTATIC!!! Thank you, Diane and NPE, for getting out the information to everyone! One by one, we’re going to TAKE BACK OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!! Congratulations, Valarie!!!
As others have suggested, Diane and NPE, please DO CONTINUE to update us during every election cycle so that all of us can continue to vote for “friends” of public education and supporters of our democracy!
On to the primary!!!
Oops! ….On to the general election!!!
Amen!
Good news, but can someone educate this unreconstructed Yankee who has only visited Georgia on layovers in Atlanta’s airport as to Valerie’s chances in the general election against the Republican. Isn’t Georgia a Republican state? Is the Republican a tea party type against Common Core? Hope the news continues to be favorable.
GST,
Yes, you are correct on all points. However, Jason Carter, Jimmy Carter’s grandson, is running for Governor. The current governor, Deal, has been under intense ethics investigations regarding campaign contributions and other actions ever since his first term, and the head of the ethics committee recently won a million dollar+ lawsuit against the state where Deal fired her for investigation into his behavior. We are hoping that this is beginning to “open people’s eyes”. Carter, so far, is doing quite well in the polls. Also, former Senator Sam Nunn’s daugher, Michelle, is running for the Georgia Senate seat. Everyone, Democrat and Republican, loved Senator Nunn, and Michelle has been CEO of former President George H. W. Bush’s Points of Light foundation. So far, the Repubs just can’t find any dirt to dredge up on that one! We are hoping that, just maybe, with the results in other elections around the nation against Tea Partiers and others, Georgia just might have a chance to pull this one off. Sadly, just a few short years ago (~15 years), Georgia was consistently a solidly Democratic state.
Everyone spread the word to your friends and family in Georgia so that we can make a difference and continue the change!!
Thanks for the info Teacher from Georgia. Up here in Pennsylvania we are also hopeful of breaking the Republican stranglehold and finally returning to full and fair funding of the public schools. The slogan is ABC – Anyone But Corbett!
Agreed. Until the late 90s, Georgia was always a Red State with a Blue governor (a Purple state?). Roy Barnes, the last Democrat to hold the office. Unfortunately, he majorly cheesed off one of the largest groups of workers/voters in the state (teachers) who voted against him in overwhelming numbers. Even my hard-core Democrat of a mother, a veteran EBD teacher here in Georgia, voted against him. Fingers crossed Carter can help bring Georgia back.
There is a typo in my last post. It is supposed to read “Roy Barnes was the last”.
I can only hope that she makes it
AND
that if she does she will not face the kind of opposition which Glenda Ritz faces here in Indiana.
Politics supersedes education.
It’s a testament to the resilience and strength of American democracy.
Even in the face of attack from national media, economic bureaus, traitor politicians, oligarchs, groups with false names and claims and the judiciary, “WE THE PEOPLE”, stood tall.