Education measures did well in elections


There has been a sustained conservative assault on public education by those who do not want their children to be exposed to any ideas that their parents object to and to learn to think. Their fight to get books that they do not like removed from school and public libraries is part of this broader anti-education campaign.

However, the 2022 mid-term elections saw some positive results on the education front. The article says that while Greg Abbott in Texas and Ron DeSantis in Florida exploited the bogus critical race theory issue and still won, Tony Evers in Wisconsin and Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan also won, running on platforms that were strongly pro public education.

Voters also were in favor of taxing the rich to pay for public education services.

Where voters had the opportunity to vote directly on education issues, however, they were unanimous in their support for public schools. State ballot initiatives strengthening public education passed in all regions of the country.

One of the most ambitious ballot initiatives was Colorado’s Proposition FF. The measure proposed reducing income tax deduction amounts for those earning $300,000 or more and allocating the revenue saved to fund free meals to all students in Colorado public schools. The measure also increased wages for school employees who prepare and serve food.

Massachusetts Question 1, another progressive ballot measure, proposed an additional tax of 4 percent for incomes over $1 million, dedicating this new revenue toward public education, roads and bridges, and public transportation.

West Virginia voters rejected a move that would give state legislators more power over the state Board of Education that would enable conservatives to monitor how race was taught in the classroom and to increase support for ‘school choice’.

New Mexico passed two measures, “to increase state spending on early childhood education and public schools from oil and gas revenues’ and “to issue up to almost $216 million in general obligation bonds to make capital improvements for higher education, special schools, and tribal schools.”

Comments

  1. John Morales says

    [double negation in first paragraph — I think “and not” should be “or”]

    [Corrected-Thanks! MS]

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