Sound Politics: Mixed Results for Education

November 03, 2004

Mixed Results for Education

Some good news, some bad news for the statewide education races.

Good news: I-884, the billion dollar a year sales tax increase for an Education Slush Fund, went down in flames. 60.75% against, as I write this. Congratulations to Clyde Ballard, Jamie Daniels and Marsha Richards, who led a heck of a fight, even though they were outfunded $3.2 million to $40,000. Seriously.

A sigh of relief: Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson trounced the inflatable doll the teacher union set up to run against her.

Bad news: The charter school referendum failed by a wide margin. A real shame. Even the modest competition offered by charter schools would do a lot of good for a lot of students. It's unfortunate the teacher union won't permit any meaningful education reforms that challenge its franchise. The dropout rate is an inexcusable 30%. Some things need to change, and as long as the teacher union has a stranglehold on the school system, very little will change for the better. I see no alternative but to end the teacher union. WEA delenda est.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 03, 2004 02:36 AM | Email This

Comments

1. I join you in congrats to Marsha and Jamie. Job well done. See http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2004/11/okay-892s-dead.html

Posted by: Josef on November 3, 2004 08:01 AM

2. I join you in congrats to Marsha and Jamie. Job well done. See http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2004/11/884-pronounced-dead-892-still-standing.html

Posted by: Josef on November 3, 2004 08:01 AM

3. Congratulations to Clyde and Jamie and Marsha. They deserve enormous credit, especially given the fact that both the state Republicans and business headed for the high grass on I-884. How the supposedly anti-tax Republicans could have no position on what would have been by far the biggest tax increase in the history of the state still boggles the mind.

Posted by: J. Archer on November 3, 2004 11:17 AM

4. The (grassroots) Republicans had a position: NO. Rossi also said in several debates the initiative would hurt the economy.

Visit http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2004/11/how-884-was-slain.html for my 884 postmortem. I'd also visit the whole blog (http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com) and go up from there and see exactly how the postmortem consensus is shaping up.

Also, and you heard it here!: I didn't mention Clyde Ballard because he really didn't play a critical front-line role week in, week out. That was and is purposeful - if you read the voter's pamphlet statement, you'd read how his resume was an admittedly valid target for the pro-tax forces. It also doesn't help when he opposed anti-bullying legislation and was a former Speaker of the House.

Alternatively, Jamie was the literal team manager and taking the field whenever possible. Marsha was our Ichiro, getting on base, clearing the road, heating up the bats, take your pick of cliches but she executed. I was just one of the many clean-up hitters against 884.

Figured this helps the pithy postmortem dialogue.

Posted by: Josef on November 4, 2004 11:01 AM