LJWorld.com weblogs Statehouse Briefing
Posted
by Scott Rothschild
July 16, 2008 at 1:13 p.m.
Teachers group backs candidates
The Kansas National Education Association has announced its endorsements.'We hope KNEA members and the public will give careful consideration to these teacher-recommended candidates," said KNEA President Blake West.The primaries are Aug. 5; the general election, Nov. 4.Here are the KNEA recommendations for local races:State Board of Education District 4, Carolyn Campbell, D-Topeka; Senate District 2, Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence; Senate District 3, Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City; Senate District 19, Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka; House District 10, Tony Brown, D-Baldwin City; House District 38, Stephanie Kelton, D-Lawrence; House District 46, Paul Davis, D-Lawrence.No endorsements have been made as of yet for some local races. KNEA will complete its recommendations before the November general election.
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Comments
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consumer1 (anonymous) says…
Excellent article, Now we know who NOT to vote for.Please go out and vote against these people. Take our schools back. A concerned teacher!!
TJ_in_Lawrence (anonymous) says…
KNEA? Don't they mean the Kansas Democratic Party?
iLikelawrence (anonymous) says…
I teach but I won't listen to them tell me how to vote. Stick to the business of creating and supporting educators not the Democratic party, and don't tell me they're one in the same.
britt408 (anonymous) says…
This is why I didn't join KNEA. To all teachers out there, kanaae (Kansas Association of American Educators) out of Olathe is an alternative union that advocates for teachers and education but does not engage in partisan politics...unlike the NEA. It's 1/3 the cost of NEA, you get twice as much liability coverage, and none of your money goes to support leftist political causes and candidates.http://www.kanaae.org/
cato_the_elder (anonymous) says…
Three very interesting posts from teachers.
happypill4014 (anonymous) says…
As a teacher, I am appalled at some of the comments on this article. Perhaps these people could use some education of their own......
britt408 (anonymous) says…
Use some education? Thanks, but I am educated, therefore I can make my own informed decisions regarding who to vote for. I don't need somebody to tell me how to vote. If you try and argue the NEA doesn't support the Democratic party, just look at the list they support...it can't get any clearer.
Informed (anonymous) says…
Wow! I mean, just, wow! I am so shocked and flabbergasted by these endorsements. I never would have guessed KNEA would have supported these candidates./pegs the sarcasm meter
teacherforpublicschools (anonymous) says…
The KNEA goes through a long process before endorsing candidates. They send out a questionnaire and interview the candidates. They also weigh in the voting records of those who have held office before. All questions are centered around a candidate's support or lack of support for public schools. Then they make their decision according to who they feel will support public schools. That would only make sense, after all, would the NRA support someone who was in favor of gun control? Just like NRA members, NEA members do not have to vote for the endorsed candidates, and you may even opt out of paying the lobbying part of the dues.The Kansas Association of American Educators is an alternative, but I've heard they support vouchers which would destroy public education. The NEA's goal is to provide a good public school for every child. Also kaae does not have bargaining status, and yes, it is your local NEA which has managed to get teachers more money than they would have ever gotten without negotiations. Also, despite the opinions of some people, NEA does not advocate keeping bad teachers on the job. They want to give the teacher a chance to improve, but any administrator worth their salt can give a teacher an honest evaluation, and if those evaluations justify getting rid of the teacher, then NEA is all for it. But you get lazy administrators who won't document the problems. They can't be allowed to get rid of teachers, just because they gave your precious kid a bad grade. Teachers are protected from unjustified firings, because there are people who want to blame them for the fact that their kid is too lazy to do the work. Just because you don't like a particular teacher doesn't mean that teacher is a bad teacher. All the principals have to do is justify firing a teacher and they can do it.
Professor_Marvel (anonymous) says…
To Teacherforpublicschools: Horse manure. Totally. I say that as one who has participated in this "so-called" process.There are a number of Republicans who put their necks on the line to support higher taxes for public education. Despite the vetting process you suggest, some of the people who support public education the most are regularly not endorsed.....in favor of someone who has the "D" label. It is unconscionable.Unfortunately, the lockstep labor-union, democrat-orientation afforded by the KNEA does more disservice to education. But it is not "red-meat" for the democrat labor advocates.It is interesting that many people as Republicans have put their neck on the line in the past and in the present for leading the effort local tax increases for education are not considered as a "friend" of education. Figure it out.
janeyb (anonymous) says…
"State Board of Education District 4, Carolyn Campbell, D-Topeka"I know I will support Carolyn over Bob Meissner. Why? Because he is the Chairman of the SN County GOP. His wife is the Deputy Chairman of the State GOP under Kris Kobach. He is a member of the Topeka Bible Church which held special fund-raising meetings for Phill Kline, while claiming tax exempt status. He supports an intelligent design/abstinence only/school voucher agenda, while telling the public he has an open mind and will be a consensus builder. Hmmm! I guess he is "a uniter, not a divider". I don't care who the KNEA supports, but I'll go with the "Baby-hating, pro-sodomy leftist" democrat candidate in this case instead of the lying evangelical.
Professor_Marvel (anonymous) says…
janeyb: good choice. My point is there are lots of pro-education, pro-investment republicans who are regularly not given a KNEA endorsement. This makes the whole process pretty D-R party oriented, and hence in a state like Kansas where Republicans control leadership, and since the people making the decisions (the mods between the Conservative and the D's) are punished by KNEA (as in these current endorsements) the real result actually drives those moderates away from making pro education decisions. I see no difference in this years list.
teacherforpublicschools (anonymous) says…
Professor Marvel,You give a lot more power to KNEA than even they think they have. Members do look at the recommendations, but they also follow their own thoughts and vote for whomever they want. Educated people do not just vote on one issue. When are the moderate GOP members going to take back their party? The radicals like Kobach run the party now. That's how the creationists board members were elected in the first place. Voters don't often pay much attention to positions like state school board members before the election, so they just vote for their party affiliation. The extremist slipped in this way, but when they started making the news, the moderate Republicans sat up and took notice and either found moderate candidates or voted Democrat. I personally vote for both Democrats and Republicans. I have never voted a straight ticket until maybe this year. The Kansas Republican party has been overrun by people with an extreme, anti-American agenda. I don't even like to call them conservatives, because they have stolen a title that does not define them. They believe in changing our laws and constitution to serve only their beliefs and are intolerant of others. If you want an independent like me and moderate Republicans to vote for GOP candidates, then take back your party.
teacherforpublicschools (anonymous) says…
Agreed, spiderman. The NEA and KNEA are focused on education. I had one teacher tell me that he wouldn't join, because the NEA doesn't condemn homosexuality. I asked him if he would honestly refuse to teach a student who claimed to be gay? Would he refuse to conference with parents who were gay? A good teacher will teach their subject and be good role models for respectful behavior. A good teacher does not refuse to teach a student just because that student or the family doesn't fit into the teacher's idea of morality. I've taught students who parents are drug addicts and violent. I don't tell those students their parents are irresponsible low lives, even though I might feel that way. I wouldn't be any better than those parents if I did that, and I would certainly not reach students, because they still love their parents. I teach the students. By modeling respectful behavior, I hope to show them there are alternatives to their home lives. I sincerely hope that parkay is not an educator of any kind, and does not have any role in shaping our children with his hatefulness.