Per yesterday’s item, Boardbuzz is still weaving their cocoon. Turns out though it’s only a half-cocoon, or a cocoonette, if you will. They’ve found a quote in the Wash. Post from one activist about the D.C. City Council race. She was upset at Kevin Chavous’ support for vouchers. Fair enough, though it’s unclear one quote from a political activist in a story indicates a trend.
Nevertheless, to learn more, Eduwonk spoke with another source very familiar with Chavous’ race about this today. According to this person, vouchers did play some role but more as a proxy for the pervasive sense that incumbents were not paying attention to their particular wards rather than as an education issue per se. The defining issue of the race was perceived inattention to the wards, everything else was subsumed by and filtered through that. So, different accounts, and even with this latter one it’s unclear what larger inferences can be drawn from it.
In any event, as close readers will note, the irony here is that Eduwonk isn’t even a voucher supporter! But, the relentless search for any shred of evidence to debunk the documented demand for them in some communities is counterproductive. Deny, deny, deny is a recipe for disaster in terms of building long-term support for public schools.
Also, from the department of insatiable appetites, MO argues that CO Senate candidate Ken Salazar’s support for voucher pilot programs is insufficiently bold. Apparently it’s universal vouchers or bust! Two blogs. One can’t reckon with vouchers, one can’t reckon without ‘em.