Tom Ultican, who was a teacher of advanced math and physics in San Diego, wrote a terrific post about the results of school board elections in his area of California. The new front of rightwing cranks and anti-vaxxers ran for school boards promising to save children from public health measures, along with the usual religious zealots who were exercised about CRT and teachers turning children gay.
Tom’s description of the contenders and the races is fascinating. I urge you to read it.
He was invited to make endorsements in many school board elections, and he did. His candidates racked up some impressive victories.
If you read his post, you will learn who El Guapo is.
I found his post very encouraging in what is often a tide of bad news. know I would sleep better at night if I knew that Tom Ultican’s stamp of approval was a decisive factor in school board elections.
These are the closing lines in his post:
Some Final Thoughts
We are a society being buried in lies.
“The election was stolen; everybody knows I won in a landslide.” This lie is still believed by 60% of Republicans because they watch Fox News which blatantly lies.
School choice is based on Milton Friedman’s lie that Public Schools are government monopolies. There are about 19,000 school districts in the United States each with their own governing bodies the vast majority of which are elected. That is not a monopoly and in reality school choice is about not having to go to school with those peoples children. It’s a racist agenda.
Well financed propagandist Christopher Rufo has widely spread the lie that CRT is being taught in K-12 Schools. He claims it is making white children uncomfortable; another lie.
A lot of people believe the lie that public schools are grooming students to “turn them” gay. The result is censorship and a small minority of LGBTQ+ students being tormented for who they are. They are people and they deserve respect. Prejudice is a social disease.
These lies have been used to divide us and distract us from billionaires grabbing more and more for themselves. Economic inequality has reached heights never before witnessed in this country and putting up with lies is a root cause. If we lose our Democracy then there will be no choice but to put up with lies. Look at what is going on in Russia, China and Hungry.
The American public school system is a treasure and must be protected from liars and their paymasters. If someone tells you that voucher schools and charter schools are superior to public schools, they are lying.
I agree with every word!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“School choice is based on Milton Friedman’s lie that Public Schools are government monopolies.”
. . . if Friedman or anyone else really thinks this, they are only revealing their ignorance . . . they don’t even know the difference between (1) a public service institution and (2) a capitalist business enterprise.
Public institutions are about serving “the people.” They are funded by the people’s taxes for the common good. It’s not about turning a profit or competing with businesses. It’s apples and oranges. They did the same thing to the U.S. Post Office and so postage prices went up to be “more competitive” with business.
Or, as the note suggests, they are lying as a part of the right-wing propaganda machine . . . it’s neo-liberalism trying to create a political order based ONLY on the principles of predatory capitalism.
In either case, where did these people go to school? CBK
Where’s our equivalent of PRAVDA when we need it? NYT? WaPo? FuxNews? CNN? MSNBC? NPR? PBS?
Milton Friedman was a creepy little highly paid apologist and court singer for the vampire class.
These lies have been used to divide us and distract us from billionaires grabbing more and more for themselves.
People often bloviate about “learning from history.” Well, here’s a lesson that history has taught again and again and again . . . and again:
The rich will keep pushing their toy until it breaks. Every time.
Aside from his very astute political observations….
Tom’s recounting of how he got his nickname, his nom de education, “El Guapo”, is charming. And, important.
It’s a fun nickname that he notes highlights an important type of relationship that effective, inspiring teachers develop with their students.
“This relationship is so important it is why machines should never replace teachers. It is probably more important than the curriculum being delivered.” he writes.
Absolutely!
Many conservatives are so busy being all holier-than-thou, fighting their idiotic culture battles with sticks up their tight asses…. they’re just plain killjoys. And, hypocrites, to boot.
Talk about uncool.
But, hey, I can’t let those Race-To-The-Flop liberals off the hook either with their joyless ‘test ’em ’til they drop’ school drudgery.
Meanwhile… it’s a snow day this morning in many Upstate New York school districts with the January Regents (standardized exams) knocked out, at least for today.
I’m sure many students are celebrating that fact.