Thoughts for Democrat Candidates for Office in North Carolina

As a long-time democrat, I think the NC Democratic party and candidate Elaine Marshall need to understand that there are number of us educators out there who are upset and saddened by the policies taken by the Obama administration in general and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in particular. Many of us voted, donated time, gave money to the Obama campaign in the last election, and this administration has chosen specific policies that scapegoat teachers and principals for all that is wrong in schools. We had hoped that the Obama administration would set right the misguided testing and accountability policies of the Bush administration, but instead they have only intensified efforts to place testing on a pedestal and as the answer for our problems in the schools. In response to this, I have written many times to the President and the National Democratic party about my concerns and the only thing I have received in return are requests for additional funding support. It is apparent that now that President Obama has become president, he has chosen a course that has created a national culture that has become hostile to teachers specifically, and to educators in general. His applause for heavy-handed actions such as firing all teachers in troubled schools has only served to make teachers and school administrators the targets for blame of school failures. I can assure you that as an individual, the democratic party's desertion of educators through the misguided policies of Secretary Duncan will not be far from my mind in the elections this fall, and in the Presidential election in 2012. I will also continue to spread the word about how democrats have chosen to join with republicans in scapegoating teachers and administrators for school failures. Democrats can boast all they wish about their health care victory, but failure to take notice on how their education policy is hurting one of their large constituent groups is callous and cannot be forgotten. Normally, at this point, I would have totally agreed that Richard Burr needs to be replaced, but if we are going to replace them with someone who is going take the same kind of policy stance in education, we might as well keep the status quo.