It’s an oldie but a goodie, brought back from 2010 in Wednesday’s article from the Capitol Times, Controversy swirls around Huppenthal’s pitch for private schools. When he was a state senator, John Huppenthal introduced legislation that would have put the subject of vouchers to a public vote. First, it would repeal language in the state constitution prohibiting the use of public money for religious instruction, then it would create a voucher program for students at schools designated as failing. If anyone had a question about where our Ed Supe stands on vouchers, this should put it to rest.

In his justification for the 2010 legislation, Hupp used a line of reasoning which is, to be polite, unbecoming a future superintendent of public instruction.

“Obviously you’re not getting an education at a failing school so it’s probably incorrect to even call it a public school. A failing school is not really a school.”

Not really a school.

All those teachers working their tails off in difficult circumstances aren’t really teachers, I guess. Same with the administrators. In Huppenthal’s vision, it’s a building filled with losers who are beyond help. Absolutely no education going on there.

You gotta give Hupp a “C” for consistency. He’s been for vouchers and he’s been disparaging the work of teachers for years. The same is true of his amazingly broad definition of “public schools.”

In his recent interview with Brahm Resnick about his pro-voucher robocall, Huppenthal said he embraces private schools as part of his superintendent’s job, cleverly, but incorrectly, confusing two different definitions of the word “public.”

I don’t define some students as not being members of the public. I’m the Superintendent of Public Instruction, not the Superintendent of Public Schools.

Here’s a similar statement from 2010:

[Huppenthal] said the public education system consists not only of traditional district schools and charter schools but also private schools and even parents who teach their youngsters at home.

Hupp wants to give all of them taxpayer money, even when parents opt to keep their children at home instead of sending them to school.

This article appears in Feb 13-19, 2014.

8 replies on “John Huppenthal: “A Failing School Is Not Really a School””

  2. David Garcia for Superintendent of Public Instruction. I think he’s read the job description and agrees with it. I fail to understand why folks who label themselves ‘conservative’ seem so committed not to conserving but to dismantling a bulwark of our common life as communities, states and nation: our public school system. Why can’t all who are concerned for the education of our kids work together to forge real solutions instead of undertaking to impose their opposing wills on the educational institutions — and the students– whose successes or failures will be the story of the future of our country?

  4. Mike, thanks for all the information and research. I’ll look into it, and certainly pay attention to what the three guest “experts” say at the public forum.

  5. Wow, “Mike.” Pretty gutless of you to plant a hit piece anonymously. Maybe you make good points and maybe you don’t. But why don’t you grow a pair and submit it as a guest commentary? Or would that be unseemly because of your relationship vis a vis the District? Or better yet, find a member of the public who closely follows TUSD to act as your shill and who will publish it under her name.

  6. “If former Portland Public Schools Superintendent Vicki Phillips was the district’s President Bush, chief operating officer Cathy Mincberg was her Karl Rove, the brainy insider to whom Phillips turned when she needed “damage control” on her sweeping and sometimes unpopular reforms.”

    http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-7314…

  8. Samantha, did you even read what I wrote? I specifically recognized that there may be some good points made. I, too, see some concerning things there. However, my comment is that it was gutless to post it anonymously. The fact that the Star also saw there were some valid points has nothing to do with it.

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