Teachers union president to speak at Democratic luncheon

The featured speaker at Monday's Democratic luncheon will be Calen Evans, President of the Washoe Education Association (WEA). He will present a teacher perspective on which proposals currently being considered by the 82nd Session support public education, and which do not.

Mr. Evans will also suggest ways in which concerned citizens can support the goals of northern Nevada school districts, teachers, and students, with special emphasis upon the debate over "school choice." He will also be fact checking some of the arguments made by proponents of "education reform," including charter schools, school vouchers, and education savings accounts.

The Washoe Education Association works to protect rights and due process for education professionals serving in the Washoe County School District. They believe that the best possible working conditions are the best possible learning conditions for the children of Washoe County. Their stated goal is "to advocate for the members in the classroom, at the school site, and with the District, as well as at state and national levels."

The WEA is affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA), which advocates on behalf of public school teachers and students all across the country. Their position is that school choice is about nothing more than the transfer of public money to the private sector with little or now accountability or transparency. They point out that "many school choice campaigns are bankrolled by a faction of incredibly wealthy conservative donors and political groups, including Charles Koch and the American Legislative Exchange Council (better known as ALEC). Their agenda is clear: dismantle public education. But it’s a safe bet you won't hear their names during National School Choice Week. What you will hear is a lot of people parroting messages about freedom, innovation, options, even civil rights - buzzwords that underpin the campaigns to expand charter schools, vouchers and ESAs across the country. But the jargon masks the devastating impact these policies have had on public education, particularly on those students who are supposed to benefit the most."

On the subject of charter schools, the NEA admits that "many people support the idea behind charter schools, but how many are aware of the mounting troubles the charter industry has experienced lately? Probably not enough. Proponents work very, very hard to maintain a facade of success and transparency in the face of evidence that many of these schools operate without any oversight, while wasting taxpayer money and fostering inequity and racial segregation." They highlight the time when North Carolina's State Board of Education rejected the Department of Public Instruction's annual report on charter schools because it was "too negative." Dominated by school privatization stalwarts, that board "was determined to prevent any meaningful oversight of the state's charters and demanded revisions to the report before it could be submitted to the legislature."

Education savings accounts are another way public schools are another way that public schools are defunded funding to benefit private interests. Nevada was the first to offer them to every public school student regardless of family income. Unfortunately very few private schools have tuition low enough to be covered by the $5,100 or $5,700 provided by ESAs. However, wealthier parents are able to supplement ESA's with their own income to cover the cost of tuition. But for lower-income families, private school remains out-of-reach. Of course Nevada's courts found our state's ESA program to be unconstitutional because it only served to divert public funds to pay for private school tuition. Public money can only be used for public purposes.

The good news is that a growing number of communities across the country are finding solutions to struggling schools and closing achievement gaps that benefit all students, not just some. Educators and parents in those communities work together to expand upon the community schools model, which is currently in place at almost 5,000 schools. When public schools extend services and programs beyond the school day, creating strong learning cultures and safe and supportive environments for both students and educators—in effect becoming community hubs—student outcomes improve. In Minnesota, educators persuaded the legislature to pass a bill creating a grant program for full-service community schools, and other states are looking to follow suit. For more on community schools, read Investing in What Works by the Southern Education Foundation and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

Sponsored by the Democratic Men's Committee, this event is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Monday, April 3rd, and may be attended in person at Black Bear Diner, inside Max Casino, or online via Zoom. Mr. Evans will take the floor after all the lunch orders have been taken, around 1:30. Those wishing to be on distribution for luncheon Zoom links should contact Rich Dunn at richdunn@aol.com.