Do you know who's on your school boards? (Yes, this is somewhat "presidential,"

[blondeatlast]

referring to this thread): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7854758

School boards especially at the district level are launching pads for political careers. Michelle Bachman started as a school board member, for instance. You can damn well bet Cynthia Dunbar (see linked thread) has higher aspirations. It wouldn't shock me to discover that Sarah Palin did too. Agenda-driven orgs (fundy churches and the like) will often run attractive women active in public schools (if you've got a kid in a public school, you'll recognize the type--as did many of us with Sarah Palin) knowing full well they will get little challenge.

These are the people who allow "intelligent design" to be forced on your (or your neighbors) kid. These are the people who empower the monumental failure that is NCLB. You do NOT have to have a school age kid to be concerned with your local school board.

They go farther, too--AZ's state education department is manned by an ELECTED public school foe and big cheerleader for NCLB.

Many of these people don't even believe in public schools. Most of them run knowing their network of like-thinking republican friends are enough to get elected and they run "stealth" campaigns; they won't answer questions on their potential agendas and dodge any discussion of agendas in debates.

Over a decade ago I read a Mother Jones article about how the fundy RW zealots had discovered the power of school boards to advance their agendas--and their candidates. We are just now seeing the fruits of those early campaigns come to national prominence.

[ensho]

1. agree - school boards are powerful and are powerfull springboards

into politics.

I've been saying this here at DU for years.


want to change things? get on a school board!!!

[madaboutharry]

2. Yes I do.

The biggest bunch of morons this side of the moon serve on my local school board.