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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > February > 13 > Entry
Obama backs charter schools
Presidential candidate Barack Obama hasn’t put too much detail to his education positions so far. But in an interview with the politics Web site Politico Obama used his support of federal aid to charter schools as an example of his willingness to take positions outside of the mainstream for his party.
Obama also talked up his support of teacher pay raises based on performance and acknowledged that the big teachers’ unions are not thrilled with these positions. The Politico story suggests these positions might be a bridge to reach out to Republicans and right-leaning independents for support.
This post also appears on the Education Writers Association’s Education Election blog.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Tracking Barack Obama
Comments
By DPS 4TH GRADE TEACHER
February 16, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this
I am reading the past week’s comments. I was willing to give Mr. Obama my Ohio primary vote next month. Now he is voicing his support for Charter schools(Ohios’s!!!!!) My NEA/OEA members are we listening and reading between his lines???I am changing my vote right now. Public School Educator….By joe mamma
February 14, 2008 3:34 PM | Link to this
I would say he’s positioning himself for the presidential election. If he has the Dem nomination he has nothing to lose by advocating charters because the teachers unions will not endorse McCain.By Mary
February 14, 2008 7:47 AM | Link to this
Okay, so now I am mulling over the timing issue and how campaigns manipulate votes. Did his campaign downplay the charter school issue until now in order to not offend voters in other states that previously voted? Is he talking up charter schools now because he no longer has to worry about turning off these voters in other states that maybe have not experimented with charters, say as much as Ohio, and maybe Wisconsin and Texas? What is the education beat’s take on the timing by his campaign on this issue? Maybe timing should not be an issue, but I resent possible games played with gullible voters, even if I might agree with him. Is it shrewd campaigning or folly with an expectation that more votes will be gained than lost, say in Ohio over issues like this and back his opponent into a corner with the unions? Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are the big ones left. Are their voters generally more pro charter? Is this why we are hearing about this issue now?By Scott Elliott
February 13, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this
Mary, a word was missing — the word “not.” I corrected it. Thanks for the quick catch.By Mary
February 13, 2008 10:18 PM | Link to this
What? Sorry, Scott I am confused with what you are saying. The teachers’ union would be thrilled with his support of charter schools? Pay raises, yes. Charter schools, maybe not. I am an independent voter who might decide to vote in the primary and these education issues/differences are important to me. Interesting he is talking about this position now, or is the media just now making this known. I could see him both losing and gaining votes on this issue. Some who have already voted might even want to change their votes. I had thought about early voting, but maybe I should wait if we are finally getting down to business on some issues.