In a recent special election, teacher Jacob Rosecrantz won election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. They need him.

I asked him to write a short entry for the Blog.

This is what he wrote:

“My name is Jacob Rosecrants. I’m a father of two kiddos who go to public schools, and I’m a teacher at Roosevelt Middle School, located in the inner city part of Southwest Oklahoma City.

“I recently was elected as the next State Representative of House District 46, which covers West Norman and Noble, Oklahoma, running on a very pro-public schools platform.

“I became involved in politics almost immediately after I began my first year of teaching in 2012. Corporate reform featuring high-stakes tests was the newest fad for our schools.

“It is a joyless way to teach for educators and a horrible way for students to learn. After attending rallies at my state Capitol, I got the sense that our public schools were being viewed as a cash cow for testing companies and their lobbyists. I made it my mission to fight against all corporate school reform. This brings us to the question: What can I do to help our schools?

“Our public school system has dealt with the largest budget cuts in the nation. Our teachers are now officially the lowest paid in the nation. Anti-public school legislators rule the roost at the State House, supported by groups such as Oklahoma Federation for Children (backed by the voucher-happy Betsy DeVos) and “school and parent choice” advocates who believe that our schools should be run like businesses.

“I’m currently going to enter the Capitol as a member of the minority party; in fact the Republicans enjoy a super-majority in our Senate, House, and the Governor’s mansion. This super-majority will not even let bills that were generated by the Democrats be heard on the floor, even if that bill would be supported by the majority of people.

“What I can do in this environment is limited.

“But I will most definitely be an independent voice for our schools and our children. I will fight against all forms of school vouchers. I will educate my constituents about the meaning of “school and parent choice”, and how those terms are really just putting lipstick on a big corporate reform pig.

“During this past election, my voters were subjected to slanderous mail pieces featuring me paid for by Oklahoma Federation for Children. This was a full-on onslaught against me and my pro-public schools platform. There is a proverbial war under way here, with corporate school reform and charters (and their ALEC bought and paid for legislators) on one side, and an ever-rising wave of public school advocates, including parents, teachers, and other stakeholders, who are so concerned about our schools and the funding issues that they saw fit to elect an actual classroom teacher this past Tuesday.

“The battle may have been won, but this war continues every day, and I cannot wait to get in the trenches at the State Capitol in these upcoming months; a warrior for our public schools and core services.

“Jacob Rosecrants
“Representative-Elect of Oklahoma House District 46”

Editor:

The Oklahoma Federation for Children is part of Betsy DeVos’ American Federation for Children, as he notes. That means Jacob beat DeVos!