Green Party Watch

Professor Todd Price was defeated in the state wide primary today in his run for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Five candidates were on the ballot, and in a low turn out race statewide Deputy Superintendent Tony Evers and Virtual Schools advocate Rosa Fernandez emerged as the top two vote getters. Official totals are still forthcoming, but Wisconsin Green Party member Todd Price and Republican activist Van Mobley were neck and neck for third and forth place.

I spoke with Price on the phone tonight in Racine and although he was disappointed with the results his passion for the campaign and for Education in Wisconsin were high. “We still need to repeal the No Child Left Behind law, we still need to address the inequities in the school funding formula, and we need to ensure that our schools are safe places regardless of sexual orientation, religious background or anything else… I guarantee you that we are going to be looking at these same issues four years from now.”

Does that mean that he is considering running again in four years? “Absolutely.”

Price said that he learned more in these six weeks than he has in years of political work, and he thanked Pete Karas first and foremost for coordinating the campaign during this time, noting that Price’s wife gave birth to their second child in late December and he is a full time tenured professor at National Louis University. “I am more than gracious and thankful for the efforts of the Green Party in general – the lit drops, the facebook work, the fundraising and calls made… Green values are my values, and this was an easy campaign to embrace…a thrilling race to run.”

“My hope is to build the Green Party, we need a second party. Democrats are going to try to save No Child Left Behind, they aren’t going to touch the school funding formula…” Price added. “The votes cast…were against the DPI (Department of Public Instruction), not for anything. People are frustrated with our state bureaucracy. We need people to step up and run on principles, on Green values – these values are ascendant. We need to bring in folks that are capable and interested and passionate about education to run for school boards…”

Wisconsin’s spring non-partisan primary is today, and turnout state wide is predicted to be lower than normal. There is only one state wide race on the ballot – the Superintendent of Public Instruction, where five candidates are running and two will move on to the April 7 general election.

Local districts including counties, cities and towns have various offices that require primaries as well.

There are 10 Green Party candidates running for office in Wisconsin this spring so far, five of whom have primaries today:

• Todd Price – Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Todd Price has demonstrated that he is not only the “progressive” in the race but also a viable candidate. He has been endorsed by the Wisconsin Green Party, Progressive Dane, Educator Roundtable, Green Change, and has gotten some very favorable write ups in the Racine Post , Cap Times and today at Fighting Bob.  While Tony Evers is the likely winner today, the second place candidate is up in the air.
• Brenda Konkel – Madison Common Council. Brenda is running for a fourth term on the Council, and this time she has opponents, four of them.  Brenda introduced Malik Rahim at the 2008 Green Party Convention in Chicago.
• Katrina Flores – Madison Common Council. Flores is a new candidate, endorsed just recently by the Four Lakes Green Party. She is one of four candidates seeking an open seat in the most predominantly student district in Madison. Katrina is a co-founder of the MultiCultural Student Coalition, founder of the Youth Engaged through Language Project, performer and chair of the Women of the Scarred Earth Rising Tide Performance & Popular Education Project and former member of the 2005 Madison Adult National Slam Team.
• Tony Palmeri – Oshkosh Common Council. Palmeri is seeking a second term on the council. All seven Council members are elected at large, voters vote for three. There are seven candidates on the ballot, and six will move on to the general election. Tony has been called both a “progressive” and a “cobblestoner”, he is a professor but with a blue collar identity. He has broad support throughout the city, and a few dozen people who despise him.
• Bob Poeschl – Oshkosh Common Council. Poeschl has run for the Council before, but never with the enthusiasm and determination that he has this time.  Neighborhood empowerment is one of his main themes. He has developed wider support than previous campaigns and is in a good position to be one of the six candidates that move on to the general election. Note: Poeschl and Palmeri are running in the same race. The top three candidates on April 7 will be seated.

Other Wisconsin Green Party candidates running this spring that do not have primaries include Satya Rhodes-Conway (Madison), Marsha Rummel (Madison), Bruce Hinkforth (Oconomowoc), and JoEllen Gramling (Clerk, Town of Schleswig). Pete Karas is running in a special election for Mayor of Racine. This race will have a Primary on April 7, and a “general election” on May 5.

The Racine Post in Wisconsin states that Todd Price is the true progressive voice in the race for Wisconsin State Superintendent of Schools:

The Kenosha native and resident, one of five candidates for state superintendent of schools, actually believes public education can benefit the state’s future. He supports spending more money on public schools, rethinking how we approach education and paying teachers more to draw in more qualified applicants.

He also doesn’t believe Democrats or Republicans have shown they’re up to the task. He blames both parties for supporting a school funding formula that’s shifted tax burden from businesses to homeowners, and allowed Wisconsin’s schools to slip in national rankings in recent years.

In short, and cliché as its become, Price is running to bring real change to Wisconsin’s schools. Real change, he said, starts with changing the way the state pays for schools.

Todd Price is one of five candidates in next week’s primary in Wisconsin for Superintendent of Schools. He appeared Thursday evening in a debate with the other four candidates and shined. Tony Evers, currently the Deputy Superintendent, is the front-runner having been given the endorsement of the teacher’s Union and the School Administrators’ organization. Van Mobley, the self proclaimed “conservative” in the race, read awkwardly from cards at the debate and gave short & shallow responses. Rose Fernandez of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families could compete with Mobley for those “conservative” votes. The fifth candidate is Lowell Holtz, Superintendent of Beloit Schools.

The complete Racine Post article which is well worth the read is below the fold:
read more »

Progressive Dane, an Independent Political Party in Madison, Wisconsin (Dane County) has endorsed Todd Price for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction. There are five candidates in the state wide race, with a Feb. 17 primary and April 7 general election. The race is non-partisan.

“We’re pleased to be endorsed by Progressive Dane, a group of concerned and informed activists who have been instrumental in shaping policy in Dane County,” said Price.

Todd Price today issued a reaction to Governor Jim Doyle’s State of the State Address, calling for “Educational Priority in the State Budget”:

Todd Price, the progressive candidate for Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction, shares Governor Jim Doyle’s commitment to keeping Wisconsin’s schools strong and expressed disappointment that instead of the bold action our schools need and our children deserve, Wednesday’s State of the State speech seemed to promise a continued erosion of education.

“Investment in public education is the key to present and future health and prosperity,” said Price. “Good schools attract business and keep young families in our communities; they provide the opportunities our children’s need for full and successful lives.”
read more »

Todd Price is campaigning hard in his race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, a state-wide non-partisan race in Wisconsin. The five candidates in the race face a February 17 Primary to winnow the field to two. Price has interviewed with the powerful teachers’ union WEAC and other groups around the state and has been working the teachers’ conferences and radio.

Madison’s Capital Times says:

DPI candidate Todd Price, a former Madisonian who is running with a lot of enthusiastic support from progressive activists (especially the Greens), started his campaign late. But he is getting up to speed fast.

Price, a college professor, has a great Web site, and the best slogan so far: “Put the Public Back in Public Education: Professor Price for Superintendent of Schools”

……

Presumed frontrunner Tony Evers, who is competing for the same pro-public education votes as Price, should be wary of his young rival. Price is obviously very serious about this race.

Wisconsin Eye interviewed all five candidates and the videos are posted here. Compare Todd Price to “presumed frontrunner” Tony Evers and judge for yourself.
read more »

Local candidate for state education post pushes new ideas, better pay for teachers

Price is a professor at National-Louis University where he teaches a variety of education and contemporary policy classes for future teachers and those going back to school for graduate classes.

“For me, it’s public service,” he said. “I’m very happy with my job, but we’re entering a new era for public education where the old answers are not going to do it anymore. Moving forward, we have to look at teacher quality, and the issue there is we need to ramp up the pay for teachers, professionalize the teacher corps and look at how students are doing each year.”

Price said the current public school financing hamstrings urban districts such as Kenosha and Racine, and he’d like to see a constitutional amendment to equalize the school funding formula.

“The idea is to not take away from wealthier districts like Whitefish Bay, but allow every district of wealthy and modest means the same access to funds,” he said. “We have to look at everything on the table. Some states are looking at getting money from gambling. I’m not opposed to gambling, but I am opposed to gambling on kids’ futures. We have to come up with answers so middle class homeowners aren’t priced out of their home, paying for referendums.”
read more »

Todd Price, a long-time Green Party activist has decided to run for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction in this Spring’s election. The state wide race is non-partisan.

Price is an impressive and qualified candidate. Todd Alan Price is Associate Professor of Educational Foundations and Inquiry in the National College of Education, National-Louis University. Price has long advocated for teachers and students, and supports putting the public back in public education. His recently published book co-authored with Elizabeth Peterson, “The Myth and Reality of No Child Left Behind: Public Education and High Stakes Assessment,” documents the actual, devastating impact of the controversial law on teaching and learning. He has traveled extensively, presenting on the issues of education policy, curriculum and instruction, and distance education at numerous conferences.

The first challenge is to get Todd on the ballot. Dozens of volunteers are out working to collect the 2,000 signatures required by January 6 to get on the ballot. If you live in Wisconsin or nearby, the Price Campaign could use your help! Contact Pete Karas at 262-498-5021 or email petekaras at yahoo.com if you can help collect signatures before Sunday January 4.
read more »