I went to the Education Accountability Session sponsored by the Pima County Interfaith Council last Sunday expecting to hear candidates talk about education. I was ready for yet another hour or two of the same old stuff. I’d force myself to pay careful attention, hoping at least one candidate for state legislature or the PCC board would say something so wonderful, or so awful, it would make my time there worthwhile. But I got something much better. The candidates weren’t given much time to talk. Instead, they got an earful about how important education is to the well-being of both children and adults — and its obvious benefits to our economy — and were given the opportunity to pledge support for adequate funding and intelligent oversight of our schools, from kindergarten through university.
Sponsored by the PCIC, Literacy Connects and the UA Department of Education, the session played to a don’t-tell-the-fire-marshal overflow crowd, many from various religious congregations around the city, as well as other interested folks. The crowd was attentive and responsive, cheering for quality, well funded education rather than the candidates of their choice.
The highlight of the session was seven young and not-so-young adults who shared their personal educational journeys, people who benefited from a combination of their own hard work, often overcoming daunting obstacles, and educational opportunities they found in Pima County. One speaker learned English through Literacy Connects and is currently studying at Pima Community College. Another speaker who is undocumented spent seven years taking courses at PCC paying out-of-state tuition. He was able to speed up his coursework when he was granted in-state tuition, but now, PCC degree in hand, he is faced with having to pay out-of-state tuition once again at UA — and he still can’t get a driver’s license.
I would love to tell all their stories here, but they wouldn’t have the impact I felt hearing them from each individual. So this Friday, I’ll be interviewing three of the speakers on the cable access program, Education: The Rest of the Story. I’m looking forward to meeting these people and talking with them. I’ll post their interviews here when they’re ready.
POSTSCRIPT: This post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the barnburner speech by Rev. Tom Tureman from Most Holy Trinity early in the session. We have an educational system failure, he said. Teachers are our first responders, but instead of supporting them, we revile them. He tore into the state legislators, but also the people who vote for them and let it all happen. “We elect people who ignore education,” he said, “and spend their energy shouting about immigration and taxes.” You tell ’em, Reverend Tom!
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2014.
Obama will turn them over to the IRS for talking about government as a tax free religious leader. Their 501c3 will be at risk.
Or do you support unequal tax payer abuse?
Is he a minister or a politician?
Interesting note: I was listening to NPR today and heard that in Pennsylvania a tightly contested election for governor finds voters are more concerned with education than any other issue including jobs and the economy. As a Philadelphia ex-pat and onetime Teacher Corpsmen, I was not shocked.
The same scenario is being played out in other states where school districts are imploding and folks are mad as hell and won’t take it anymore. The Fat Lady is just tuning up but given almost 15 years of federal meddling in public education policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations it is safe to day education is going to play a role in determining who is elected. At the end of the day the message will be “let the teachers teach and give them the tools they need to get the job done.”
“We elect people who ignore education,” he said, “and spend their energy shouting about immigration and taxes.”
……to this might be added, Mr. Safier…reporters, here in Tucson, who use their influence to endorse School Board Candidates with a Failing Record on Academic Performance, and the outrageous use of Patronage (with impunity!!) in TUSD so as to maintain the power base of the Democrat Mafia.
I appreciate your focus on the stories of actual students who are working hard to better themselves and society. I look forward to “The rest of the story.”
If you folks would quit wasting your time and effort attacking the messenger maybe, just maybe you could grasp the reality of what the legislature has done to try to help you and children.
Here we go:
Waste at the Admin level and test scores both went the wrong direction at about the same time. AZ legislators decided to cut funding in hopes admin would do a better job with less. They also hoped that parents, teachers and supporters would TAKE BACK THEIR SCHOOLS and throw the bums out.
You did just the opposite. You blamed all the problems on lack of money. You never seem to use results to analyze success or failure.
So their next step was to offer charter schools and tax credits so you could have a choice and get your kids out of failing schools. Forget your old argument about low income area schools not getting equal tax dollars. You could take your kids to any school that you like.
But once again, you stayed and complained about the money.
It borders on child abuse. Are you guilty of it?
Which Legislators were there? I am guessing all Democrats who have no say in the budget so all those lectures were wasted on them, as they would love to spend the money, that is what Democrats do, spend other people’s money (known as tax dollars). No Republicans now represent Tucson at the Legislature since the Ds took control of the redistricting process and threw all of the Tucson Rs into rural large Republican majority districts, and then stuck Green Valley into a Democrat district thus removing one of the strongest Republican voices at the Capital, the Rs in GV. Nice going, sometimes there are unintended consequences and now you see them, no representation in Phoenix for Tucson. PCIC may as well as bay at the moon instead of having public meetings, it does not matter anymore.
Dear WHERE THE BODIES: Two Republicans candidates spoke at the event: Chris Ackerley and Ethan Orr. Candidates from both sides were invited to participate.