We Jefferson County residents never thought we would be foot soldiers on the front lines in a “key” election battleground. I didn’t even enlist.
But the political gurus have declared that we are as purple as those mountain majesties of song. We are an electoral weathervane, much like the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.
Thus, we now find that the “Jihad in Jeffco” is not just about merely laying the groundwork for the recall of Republican members of the school board. It is about Democrats keeping control of the statehouse — and even Congress.
Apparently, strife leads to voter angst and thus a higher turnout of those apathetic folks who lean to the left.
A story in this very newspaper noted that Big Labor, the CIO-AFL, is throwing big bucks and manpower into our humble county trying to get its candidates elected. The strategy: Manufacture a controversy and then capitalize on it.
No wonder the National Education Association, the teachers union, dispatched a platoon of 44 staffers from 18 states to Jefferson County in July to “talk to educators about concerns and issues.”
A question here and across the nation is this: Who is going to run the public schools: the public or the teachers unions? But the irony of the situation is thick. Education reform actually is a bipartisan issue.
At the forefront of pushing for change — accountability, the revamp of teacher tenure laws and creation of pay systems based on performance — have been Democrats brave enough to go against on the union.
They include the president himself and his secretary of education. They initiated the Race to the Top, which encourages innovation and accountability based on national testing.
Also important to the reform cause have been such organizations as Democrats for Education Reform, Teach for America and liberal education activists such as Michelle Rhee. Many deep-pocketed liberals have funded many groups and reform-minded candidates in their campaigns across the country.
Likewise, the keystone piece of reform legislation in Colorado, Senate Bill 191, was pushed through by Sen. Michael Johnston and a handful of his fellow Dems who defied fierce opposition from other members of their own party, as well as the NEA and its state affiliate. The law links teacher evaluations to the test scores of their students and allows underperforming teachers to be dismissed.
Most Democratic officeholders and candidates are not on board with reforms like this since the party receives huge financial support from labor unions, especially the NEA and its affiliates.
Dem “rebels” have taken the stand that improving education is more important than organized labor’s money.
Big Labor’s declaration of war here is not just about electing candidates favorable to its cause or setting the stage for recapturing one school board. It wants to send a message to governors, legislators and school reformers across the nation: “Don’t mess with us!”
Perhaps it can even get enough support at the state Capitol to pass new laws to cut the heart out of SB 191.
The first casualties in this battle will likely be the 20 percent (or more) of the kids in Jeffco and across Colorado who underperform in the classroom.
But as usual, it isn’t about the children.
Dick Hilker (dhilker529@aol.com) of Arvada is a retired suburban newspaper editor and columnist. He writes twice a month for The Denver Post.
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