Tuck over Tony for SPI

With California’s kids ranked near last in the nation in reading and math, we can’t afford to elect someone who won’t stand up to the status quo when it matters.  If Tuck’s opponent, Tony Thurmond is a progressive when it comes to the changes we need in public education he hasn’t been brave enough to act like it.

One of the many contributors to the financial crisis in California’s education system can be attributed to our teachers earning lifetime employment in just 18 months, the shortest window in the nation.  Too short for our teachers to demonstrate their value or for school leaders to weed out ineffective ones, committing tax payer dollars to underperforming teachers.

Just last year, Assemblymember Thurmond helped kill AB 1220, a common-sense bill which would have extended to 3 years. The bill was written by Democrat Dr. Shirley Weber, a former professor and school board president (who now endorses Marshall Tuck).  Instead of pushing for change, Thurmond, a true politician, worked to squash Dr. Weber’s bill. The San Diego Union-Tribune called the move “typical of Sacramento” and “pathetic.”

Thanks to Thurmond, the status quo prevailed. But it wasn’t the only time that he voted to protect establishment interests in Sacramento over the interests of students. HE helped kill bills that would’ve made it easier for low-income and foster parents to transfer their children to different, better public schools, and he voted down proposals to hold teachers more accountable for poor student performance. That’s not “progressive” – that’s more of the same.

Back in 2014, during his first race for the California State Assembly, Thurmond ran against a more progressive candidate, barely edging her out, only after an IE backed by Big Oil and Tobacco spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of him.   It was a victory for the political establishment that set the stage for his career in the Assembly. Despite claiming a progressive record, Assemblymember Thurmond’s votes make clear that his real commitment isn’t to California’s kids, but to the status quo and establishment interests.

In the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, we’re backing Marshall Tuck, a lifelong progressive Democrat who’s proven his commitment to public education, even when it means taking on an entrenched establishment that resists real change.