On Wednesday, a who’s who of Republican presidential hopefuls will attend an education summit organized by The Seventy Four, a non-profit website that backs education reform. Attendees will include Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina and Bobby Jindal, all of whom have supported extreme, right-wing education policies in one form or another.
Despite the long list of GOP hopefuls who will be in attendance, the forum is unlikely to result in new ideas on how to improve our education system. Whether it’s Bush, Walker, Christie and Kasich discussing how to defund public schools, or Fiorina and Jindal attacking the merits of community colleges, the Republican presidential candidates will likely continue to propose polices that hurt America’s education system and lessen the opportunity for all Americans to reach their full potential.
JEB BUSH
Public Education
Jeb Bush called public schools “‘government-run monopolies run by unions.” “You can say this about Jeb Bush: When it comes to promoting charter schools and vouchers at the expense of traditional public schools, the former Florida governor and possible 2016 presidential candidate has long been consistent. […] As governor from 1999-2007, Bush introduced school reforms that have become common across the country — including high-stakes standardized testing for ‘accountability’ purposes and school ‘choice’ — and since then has been a leading voice in spreading his education gospel nationwide. That includes calling public schools ‘politicized, unionized monopolies’ or ‘government-run monopolies run by unions,’ all the while talking up charter schools and voucher programs that give public money to students to pay for private school tuition. His critics call him not a ‘reformer’ but a ‘privatizer’ of public education.” [Washington Post, 5/19/14]
Salon’s Matthew Pulver: “Jeb Bush was a leader in dismantling public education.” “During his eight years as governor, Jeb Bush was a leader in dismantling public education. Detailed in a January New Yorker article by Alec MacGillis, Bush’s push for for-profit education has been the former governor’s passion, and those looking to profit on children will likely fall in behind him as presidential candidate. By all accounts, Bush appears to truly believe that the sort of reform he advocates is the answer to a flagging American education system. But his genuine passion and conviction doesn’t mean his ‘solution’ isn’t dangerous.” [Salon, 6/17/15]
Jeb Bush’s legislation that sent taxpayer-funded scholarships to private schools was struck down by the Florida Supreme Court. “The Florida Supreme Court struck down the state’s original school-voucher program Thursday, ruling that using taxpayer-funded scholarships to send children to private schools violates the state constitution. The 5-2 ruling overturns a centerpiece of Gov. Jeb Bush’s education-reform plans: a 1999 law that created the nation’s first statewide voucher program and let children at failing public schools use state scholarships, or tuition vouchers, to go to private schools.” [Orlando Sentinel, 1/6/06]
Teaching Creationism
Jeb Bush said he thinks that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in public schools. “But while Bush reached out to the middle this election, he remains a staunch conservative. He is against abortion, having converted from Episcopalian to Catholic. He has said he thinks the biblical story of creation should be taught alongside evolution in public schools.” [Orlando Sentinel, 11/4/98]
Higher Education
Bush referred to debt-free college as “more free stuff.” “Jeb Bush, a Republican contender, told NH1 News that such a [debt-free college] plan was akin to just wiping ‘the 1.2 trillion dollars of debt without reforming our higher education system — more free stuff.’” [NYT, 7/8/15]
As Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush oversaw a tuition increase of almost 60 percent. “We asked the Board of Governors for the systemwide tuition rates for the time frame we’re looking at, to see what the actual rate of tuition increases were. They are reported by credit hour, but the rate of change is still easy to calculate: 1998-99: $46.99 per credit hour… 2006-07: $73.71 per credit hour…Percent change: 56.9 percent… Source: Board of Governors… So Bush oversaw a tuition increase of almost 60 percent.” [PolitiFact, 6/30/15]
….While proposing to fund universities with what the St. Petersburg Times called “pocket change.” “Florida will collect an additional $4-billion in its wallet next year, but Gov. Jeb Bush wants to hand universities what amounts to pocket change. His proposed 2005-06 budget covers only a fourth of what his own Board of Governors says is necessary merely to keep pace with new students… The increase he proposes in overall university spending, $119-million, is less than half the amount of recurring money he proposes to eliminate from the budget through tax cuts. Tuitions can be increased as the governor suggests, but higher education can’t maintain quality without a state willing to invest in it.” [St. Petersburg Times, 1/25/05]
Jeb Bush opposed Pres. Obama’s plan to extend free community college to high school graduates. “He was critical of Obama’s push for a plan for free community college, while saying the president also wanted to increase taxes on Americans saving money to pay for tuition. It was ridiculous to think Obama’s plan wouldn’t have negative implications, Bush told his audience.” [Bloomberg, 1/22/15]
SCOTT WALKER
Public Education
Scott Walker expanded Wisconsin’s “voucher program that uses public funds to pay for tuition at private schools, including religious schools.” “If anybody was holding out any hope that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would see even a modicum of reason and refuse to savage public education in his state, they can now let it go. A day before jumping into the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Walker on Sunday signed a new state budget that, among other things: […] expands the state’s voucher program that uses public funds to pay for tuition at private schools, including religious schools — even though there is no evidence the program has helped improve student achievement in the past — and creates a new “special needs” voucher law that cuts into protections for special needs students.” [Washington Post, 7/13/15]
School Funding
Wisconsin education expert: Under Scott Walker’s budget, “a majority of public school districts in Wisconsin will receive less funding this year, and no school district’s state funding will keep up to inflation.” “A majority of public school districts in Wisconsin will receive less funding this year, and no school district’s state funding will keep up to inflation. At the same time, the budget expands taxpayer support of private voucher schools, which are overwhelmingly religious schools and which are subject to minimal public oversight. (For instance, voucher schools do not have to follow the state’s law prohibiting discrimination against students on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, marital or pregnancy status. Nor are they subject to the state’s open meetings and records requirements.)” [Washington Post, 7/13/15]
PolitiFact found it “Mostly True” that Scott Walker “cut school funding more per student than any governor in America.” “The Greater Wisconsin Committee said: ‘Scott Walker cut school funding more per student than any governor in America.’ Based on the latest census figures, for 2011-’12, the Wisconsin cuts were the largest based on two measures — state revenue provided to local schools and overall spending by schools of state, federal and local money. But more recent figures indicate that Wisconsin’s school spending cuts are no longer the largest, at least for a more recent period. For a statement that is accurate but needs additional information, our rating is Mostly True.” [PolitiFact, 9/7/14]
Teachers
Scott Walker’s 2011 union-busting law “exempted the unions of police, firefighters and state troopers from the changes in collective bargaining rights but not educators.” “It was in 2011 that Walker pushed through a law, Act 10, that slashed the power of public employee unions to bargain, and cut pay for most public sector workers. As a special slap to teachers, Walker exempted the unions of police, firefighters and state troopers from the changes in collective bargaining rights but not educators. Teachers protested for a long time, closing schools for days, but the law passed, and the impact on teachers unions in Wisconsin has been dramatic: according to a piece by Washington Past columnist Robert Samuels. The state branch of the National Education Association, once 100,000 strong, has seen its membership drop by a third, and the American Federation of Teachers, which organized in the college system, has seen a 50 percent decline.” [Huffington Post, 3/22/15]
Higher Education
Scott Walker’s 2015-2017 budget eliminated student loan forgiveness programs for health care providers working in underserved communities. “The budget also deletes two loan assistance programs — one specifically for physicians, and another for physicians, dentists and other health care providers. Through that program, practitioners who agree to work in an under-served community for at least three years are eligible to have some of their student loans repaid. About 70 practitioners are currently working under such contracts, said John Eich, director of the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health. ‘Those contracts will become null and void,’ he said.” [Capital Times, 3/18/15]
Scott Walker “chose not to endorse any Wisconsin student loan refinancing bills put forth in 2014.” “Perhaps most tellingly, Walker chose not to endorse any Wisconsin student loan refinancing bills put forth in 2014. His Democratic opponent in that year’s gubernatorial race, Mary Burke, ran on a platform of higher education reform which included the establishment of an authority on student loan refinancing and a move to make student loan taxes deductible. Walker’s allegiances and priorities aligned more closely with cuts to the education system than relief for the state’s 1 million graduates with student loans.” [Huffington Post, 4/16/15]
Scott Walker allowed a bill that would let borrowers refinance their student loans “to die without a vote.” “Governor Scott Walker has responded to this crisis with devastating indifference. A bill introduced by Representative Cory Mason (D-Racine) and Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) would have given some relief to Wisconsin families drowning in student loan debt. The Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill would have allowed borrowers to refinance their student loans just like mortgages or auto loans and allowed borrowers to deduct their student loan payments from their taxes. These common sense reforms fell on deaf ears in the Republican legislature and the Governor’s office. Despite the support of 54 legislators, Scott Walker allowed the bill to die without a vote. He has dodged questions on the campaign trail about student loans, and the new jobs plan his campaign released makes no mention of any plan to address the issue.” [Purple Wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 9/15/14]
Scott Walker suggested legislation that would allow borrowers to refinance their student debt was “just politics.” “Burke has said she would focus on reducing the debt college students accumulate. She has called for creating an authority that would allow students to refinance student loans, which was part of a plan that state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, proposed last year. […] Walker said he would be willing to look at measures like Mason’s refinancing bill, but questioned whether the proposal is ‘more than just politics.’ ‘If it was a good idea, I’m sure they would have passed it four years ago when they controlled the Assembly and the Senate and the governorship,’ he said in response to questions from reporters.” [Racine Journal-Times, 9/10/14]
JOHN KASICH
School Funding
John Kasich vetoed $80 million in funding that was intended to ensure that state school districts wouldn’t face budget shortfalls from lower property taxes. “Of the 44 line-item budget vetoes that Gov. John Kasich issued more than a month ago, one in particular still has state legislators discussing a potential override or new legislation that protects schools from funding cuts. Republican legislators, some of whom didn’t like the idea of cutting school funding while at the same time reducing taxes by nearly $2 billion and putting about $525 million into the state rainy-day fund, were blindsided when Kasich vetoed a pot of money designed to ensure that those cuts didn’t happen. […] Kasich vetoed about $80 million in the budget’s second year that was designed to ensure that districts did not see overall state-funding cuts despite further reductions in reimbursements for lost tangible personal property-tax revenue.” [Columbus Dispatch, 8/9/15]
- Republican state representative: John Kasich’s funding cuts came “too much, too fast for some of these schools.” “Rep. Jonathan Dever, R-Madeira, said he is working on an alternative that ‘is trying to find a way to meet the governor halfway.’ The Sycamore district loses about $2.8 million from Kasich’s vetoes, but Dever said the district has seen little spending growth over the past decade. He is crafting a plan that looks to protect schools from funding cuts while also having them follow fiscal policies that help schools such as Sycamore hold down costs. ‘It’s too much, too fast for some of these schools, based on sheer mathematics,’ Dever said of the cuts. ‘I understand the governor’s policy on wanting to get everybody on the (funding) formula; there are just certain school systems that need additional time to get there.’” [Columbus Dispatch, 8/9/15]
Teachers
John Kasich pushed to strip Ohio’s teachers of their collective bargaining rights. “Perhaps the biggest splash Kasich tried to make when he took over as Buckeye State governor was with Senate Bill 5, which he signed into law in 2011, but which was struck down by voters later the same year. That law would have stripped teachers and other public employees of most of their collective bargaining rights. But Issue 2 was defeated at the ballot box after vigorous pushback from the Ohio Education Association and others.” [Education Week, 7/21/15]
Teaching Creationism
John Kasich supported allowing school districts to teach creationism. “But you will see several stances here that Gov. Kasich and Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald don’t talk a lot about on the campaign trail. For example, Kasich said, via a campaign representative, that he would allow public school districts to teach alternatives to evolution — such as intelligent design — if local school officials want to, under the philosophy of ‘local control.’” [Columbus Dispatch, 9/28/14]
Higher Education
John Kasich on what he’d do to address the student debt crisis: “I don’t know yet.” “He does give some specifics in the question-and-answer sessions. He thinks the president needs a line-item veto, for instance. He thinks immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay if they register and possibly pay a fine. But when Dan Kelley, of Stratham, asked what he’d do about helping college graduates get out from under mountains of student loans, suggesting some sort of community service in exchange for forgiveness, Kasich said: ‘I don’t know yet. … I cannot make the promise that all of the sudden I’m going to write it off. … ‘Maybe you just said something that made some sense.’” [Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/27/15]
BOBBY JINDAL
Charter Schools
Bobby Jindal signed into law a sweeping school voucher program that was “rife with accountability problems.” “Under Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher program, considered the most sweeping in the country, Louisiana is poised to spend tens of millions of dollars to help poor and middle-class students from the state’s notoriously terrible public schools receive a private education. While the governor’s plan sounds great in the glittery parlance of the state’s PR machine, the program is rife with accountability problems that actually haven’t been solved by the new standards the Louisiana Department of Education adopted two weeks ago.” [Mother Jones, 8/7/12]
- Much of Jindal’s private school funds were “snapped up by conservative evangelical schools with exotic and hardly public-minded curricular offerings.” “In heading his state in the direction of universally available vouchers rationalized by public school failure, Jindal is not, of course, holding any of the private school beneficiaries accountable for results, or for common curricula, or, it appears, for much of anything. A big chunk of the money already out there is being snapped up by conservative evangelical schools with exotic and hardly public-minded curricular offerings, with the theory being that any public oversight would interfere with the accountability provided by ‘the market.’ So if you want your kid to attend, at public expense, the Christian Nationalist Academy for Servant-Leader Boys & Fecund Submissive Girls, that’s okay by Bobby.” [Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly, 7/2/12]
Teaching Creationism
Bobby Jindal signed “a law that paved the way for creationism to be taught in schools.” “His refusal to endorse evolution hardly distinguishes him from the other Republican presidential hopefuls, but Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal can point to an unmatched achievement as he formally kicks off his campaign: signing a law that paved the way for creationism to be taught in schools. Jindal, who will announce his White House bid at a rally near New Orleans on Wednesday, signed the Louisiana Science Education Act into law in 2008. It was his first year as governor. Ostensibly a bill promoting the discussion of diverse theories in science classrooms, critics argue that it was introduced as a way to smuggle creationist pseudoscience such as ‘intelligent design’ into the state’s public schools. Efforts to repeal it, backed by 78 Nobel laureates, have failed. The fourth such attempt failed last year.” [The Guardian, 6/24/15]
Higher Education
Bobby Jindal was “one of the most vocal supporters of for-profit schools” and opposed “gainful employment” regulations that hold institutions accepting federal student loan money accountable for student success. “Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been one of the most vocal supporters of for-profit schools, opposing the president’s ‘gainful employment’ rule. He wrote in a column for the Washington Examiner, ‘The first programs to disappear under the ‘gainful employment’ regulations will be the ones that try to give Americans their first rung on the higher education and career ladders … It is tantamount to redlining educational opportunities for low-income and minority youths.’ His brother, Nikesh Jindal, is an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLC, represents the schools’ association, The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities.” [Think Progress, 4/30/15]
Bobby Jindal opposed Pres. Obama’s plan to extend free community college to high school graduates. “Gov. Bobby Jindal doesn’t support President Barack Obama’s newly-unveiled plan of free community college for most Americans. ‘President Obama has increased our national debt by $7.5 trillion dollars and created a new entitlement program at a time when our current entitlement programs are going bankrupt,’ Jindal said in a statement to The Advocate today. ‘So of course, now he is planning to offer two years of taxpayer paid college. Why stop there? Why not have the government buy a car and a house for everyone? We believe states are better positioned than the federal government to handle initiatives like these.’” [The Advocate, 1/9/15]
CARLY FIORINA
Higher Education
Carly Fiorina called a proposal to provide free community college to high school graduates a “distraction.” “‘President Obama majors in distraction. At the same time, at the same week that we are seeing Islamic extremists slaughter people in France, President Obama is talking about free community college,’ Fiorina said Wednesday on ‘The Steve Malzberg Show’ on Newsmax TV. ‘Free community college doesn’t solve the problem of the failing K-12 public schools that we have today — but it was a complete distraction and that’s what this president does.” [Newsmax, 1/21/15]
CHRIS CHRISTIE
Education Funding
Chris Christie cut $1 billion in education funding from New Jersey’s budget. “Funding for public schools has consistently caused tensions between Christie’s office and education advocates. After coming to office in 2010, Christie cut about $1 billion in education spending, according to Politifact, to help close gaps in the state’s budget. […] Thanks to budget cuts, New Jersey ‘has been unable to fund its own formula,’ Lehren told HuffPost, referring to the funding levels established by SFRA. She pointed out that most of the increases in education funding have been for charter schools. Last month, the state Department of Education said it is underfunding many school districts under the SFRA formula due to a lack of revenue.” [Huffington Post, 6/29/15]
Chris Christie funded K-12 education in New Jersey at the lowest levels since 2005-06 when adjusted for inflation. “Gov. Chris Christie has touted a budget proposal that promises a fifth straight year of historic education funding for New Jersey. But an NJ Advance Media analysis of 10 years of state spending data shows that K-12 funding for school districts has actually dropped in the last decade when adjusted for inflation. That aid, which can be used by districts in the classroom, is still recovering from major cuts in Christie’s first budget. With inflation factored in, K-12 funding in Christie’s 2015-16 budget proposal is more than $350 million lower than it was in 2005-06, according to the analysis. ‘There is no question that in real dollars New Jersey school districts are receiving less support for public education,’ said John Donahue, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials.” [NJ Advance Media, 3/12/15]
Universal Pre-K
Chris Christie opposed universal pre-kindergarten and called preschool “babysitting.” “Today, the future of expanded preschool is uncertain. While campaigning for governor, Chris Christie’s comments ranged from calling preschool ‘babysitting’ to proposing continuing preschool funding only in the 31 poorest school districts to saying that a ‘universal’ preschool mandate ‘ignores the realities of classroom availability, cost, staff, not to mention the existence of a broad spectrum of private providers.’” [Asbury Park Press, 3/21/10]
Teaching Creationism
Chris Christie said that school systems should be allowed to teach creationism. “The refusal to explain his position comes one week after a town hall meeting in Manalapan, where Christie was asked what he thought of creationism being taught in schools alongside evolution. Christie said the decision to teach creationism should be made at the local level, and reiterated that position yesterday. ‘Evolution is required teaching,’ Christie said. ‘If there’s a certain school district that also wants to teach creationism, that’s not something we should decide in Trenton.’” [Newark Star-Ledger, 5/13/11]
Higher Education
Chris Christie said that it was “wrong” to push for debt-free college. “As Democratic presidential candidates begin to include a debt-free college system as part of their respective campaigns, New Jersey Gov. and Republican contender Chris Christie thinks the push is a ‘typical liberal approach.’ […] ‘That is a typical liberal approach. It is wrong,’ he said. ‘If college graduates are going to reap the greater economic rewards and opportunities of earning a degree, then it seems fair for them to support the cost of the education they’re receiving.’” [USA Today, 6/12/15]
Chris Christie said he was “anxious to do away with caps on tuition increases at four-year state colleges.” “Gov. Chris Christie says he’s anxious to do away with caps on tuition increases at four-year state colleges, adding that college presidents should be free to seek ‘market prices’ and be given broader autonomy for nearly all management matters. Christie, who will unveil his annual budget next month, last year led the state to cut spending on higher education by $173 million and set a 4 percent limit on tuition increases, but now says the cap may have been a mistake, adding, ‘I wonder whether I did the right thing there or not.’’ [Asbury Park Press, 1/10/11]
Chris Christie vetoed a college affordability bill that would have studied a program to restructure tuition payments at public universities. “Governor Christie issued an unexpected veto today of a college affordability bill sponsored by the Senate President. The measure was a pet project of the Senate President, Stephen Sweeney. […] The bill would have created a panel to investigate a proposed ‘pay it forward’ program, which would allow students at state colleges to avoid paying traditional tuition. Instead, they would pay the state a percentage of their future income for a certain number of years. The panel would have also looked into other college affordability proposals, including possible changes to state loan and educational savings programs. Christie said those issues ‘are already being addressed’ by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.’ [Record, 1/13/14]