Fact Check: The “Me Too” Candidate Rides Again!
In Stunning Reversal Deeds to Say Tonight he “Strongly Supports” Charter School Expansion
Follows McDonnell’s lead on Yet Another Issue: But is Creigh Serious about his New Position, or Just Saying it in a Speech?
Tysons Corner- Just 48 hours after agreeing with the head of the VEA as she made clear the group’s determination to water down and impede the President’s effort to expand charter schools in America, Creigh Deeds, the “Me Too” candidate for Governor, has once again changed positions to follow Bob McDonnell on yet another issue.
According to an early draft of his remarks, Deeds (the Me Too Candidate) will say tonight:
There’s still a lot of room for reform. I strongly support the President’s initiatives to expand charter schools - there’s no reason Virginia should lag behind on this.
Really? “Strongly?”
Bob McDonnell has repeatedly and vocally supported this bipartisan education reform effort:
Here, Here,Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here
That’s Strong Support. Early Support. Bold Support
Creigh Deeds? Nope.
Voted Against Allowing them At All
Voted Against Later Bill that Would Help More Charter Schools Open
- In the House of Delegates Bob McDonnell voted for the final passage of legislation allowing charter schools in the Commonwealth. Deeds voted NO. (HB 543 1998)
- In 2004 Deeds was one of only seven senators to vote against theCharter School Excellence and Accountability Act which among other things:
Allowed charter schools to contract with private institutions of education, added evidence of the support of school division residents for a charter school to those items that may be included in proposed charter agreement materials, allow charter applicants to submit the proposed charter agreement to the Board of Education for review and comment, and to require inclusion of the Board’s findings in the charter application to the local school board, deleted the authority of school boards to limit the number of charter schools within the division, and extended the maximum term of the charter from three to five years.
- As a candidate for the Democratic nomination Creigh made clear he did not support expanding charter schools in Virginia:
“One question Moran, McAuliffe and Deeds was clear on was that they do not support taking state funds to support tuition tax credits or charter schools.”
Culpeper Star-Exponent, April 29, 2009
- Creigh Deeds has been endorsed by the VEA. The head of the VEA made clear their position on the matter, writing in The Washington Post on July 12: “Charter Schools Aren’t the Solution for Virginia.” In the piece, Boitnott wrote, “The Obama administration and The Post are fascinated with charter schools, but charters do not make sense for Virginia. Maybe charter schools are needed in the District or Chicago, but in Virginia they are a solution looking for a problem.”
- Just Tuesday Creigh nodded affirmatively as the head of the VEA made clear that Bob McDonnell was the candidate in the race who supported charter schools. She noted:
”[Creigh Deeds’] opponent is a proponent of charter schools and merit pay,” Boitnott said. “Right now [Bob McDonnell] is using a strategy that would lull people - those who are in favor of charter schools and merit pay - lull them into the fold by saying that these are things that President Obama and Secretary [of Education Arne] Duncan also promote, which is true to a certain extent.”
Following her remarks about how the VEA is working behind the scenes to make sure the President’s reforms will not be “detrimental to the public education programs that we have supported” (VEA opposes charter schools), Creigh stated:
“What Kitty’s talking about - you have to always look for innovations in education. We gotta keep an open mind about a lot of things. But there’s some places we just draw lines in the sand.”
- Even when forced to pivot towards at least feigning support for the idea after the Democratic primary, Creigh has been reluctant and tepid:
“But Deeds must be more proactive on charter schools if he wants Virginia to be well-positioned to receive federal support in the future. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has warned that states resistant to charter schools will be at a disadvantage when competing for federal education grants.”
“Two things are clear as well: President Obama is a strong proponent of charter schools. So is Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. A spokesman for Creigh Deeds says he supports charter schools, although Deeds does not exhibit the enthusiasm for them that McDonnell does. And across the country, Democratic legislatures and the interests to which many of them are beholden have tried to put the charter-school genie back in the bottle.”
Mr. Deeds’s education stance is less defined. His Web site promises that he will make college more accessible and affordable, expand pre-kindergarten opportunities, and provide more money for teachers. Mr. Deeds says that he supports charter schools but, as the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted, he is less enthusiastic than Mr. McDonnell is.
Sadly, though, he doesn’t want to deny local school boards the power to control the start-up of charters in the misguided belief that it would drain money from public education; never mind that charters are public schools.
Tonight the “Me Too” Candidate Rides Again
One Problem: Record Beats Rhetoric Every Time