The Delaware State Education Association came out with their 2016 Endorsed Candidate list for the upcoming election in November. There is a rather large glaring omission: the Chair of the Senate Education Committee, none other than 8th District Senator David Sokola. I can’t say I’m surprised. He was not a friend to teachers in the 148th General Assembly. Or parents. Or students. Between House Bill 50 and House Bill 399, opt out to teacher evaluations, Sokola did not make a lot of new friends the past two years. He was widely seen as the legislative water carrier for Governor Jack Markell. While he is now trying to distance himself from the Delaware Dept. of Education, his actions the past two years speak otherwise. This is very big folks! To be the Chair of an education committee at Legislative Hall and NOT get endorsed by the teachers union speaks volumes.
DSEA’s 2016 Endorsed Candidates for State and Federal Elections
DSEA’s 2016 Endorsed Candidates
- Governor: John Carney
- Lt. Governor: Bethany Hall-Long
- U.S. Congress: Lisa Blunt Rochester
- Insurance Commissioner: Trinidad Navarro
- State Senate District 1: Harris McDowell, III
- State Senate District 5: Cathy Cloutier
- State Senate District 7: President Pro Tempore Patricia Blevins
- State Senate District 9: Jack Walsh
- State Senate District 12: Nicole Poore
- State Senate District 14: Bruce Ennis
- State Senate District 19: Brian Pettyjohn
- State House District 6: Debra Heffernan
- State House District 7: Bryon Short
- State House District 9: Kevin Hensley
- State House District 10: Sean Matthews
- State House District 11: Jeff Spiegelman
- State House District 14: Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf
- State House District 15: Majority Leader Val Longhurst
- State House District 18: David Bentz
- State House District 19: Kim Williams
- State House District 20: Stephen Smyk
- State House District 21: Mike Ramone
- State House District 22: Joe Miro
- State House District 23: Paul Baumbach
- State House District 24: Ed Osienski
- State House District 25: John Kowalko
- State House District 27: Earl Jaques
- State House District 28: Bill Carson
- State House District 29: Trey Pardee
- State House District 31: Sean Lynn
- State House District 32: Andria Bennett
- State House District 33: Karen Williams
- State House District 34: Dave Henderson
I don’t get it…. why is that?
Oh, nevermind.
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But Pete Schwartzkopf gets their endorsement? That I really don’t get. The guy who refused to bring the “opt out” veto override to the floor. That guy who keeps voting for special protections for charter schools? What’s up with that?!
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Pete Schwartzkopf does not get my endorsement. While I think the barometer of a statewide teacher union endorsement is important, it should not be the ultimate say in any election. Like Sokola, Schwartzkopf has done just as much harm to public education by being the decider for what moves forward and what doesn’t with education legislation.
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