How the hell did I miss this? I broke the news on the House Committee memberships and I totally missed this awesomeness! State Rep. John Kowalko is back on the House Education Committee! To understand how big this is, you have to look at the history of why he was removed in the first place.
Four years ago, Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf removed Kowalko from the House Education Committee. This prompted a very big battle between the two state representatives. It also caused climate change in Delaware. This led to Kowalko scheduling a press conference on the first day of the 148th General Assembly legislative session. While Schwartzkopf denied the outster was due to Kowalko’s opposition to Governor Markell’s priority schools agenda, everyone knew which way the wind blew.
While Kowalko was not on the House Education committee that year, he spent a lot of time in meetings as the House sponsor for House Bill #50, the opt out bill. That bill led to some fierce back and forth between Kowalko and House Education Committee Chair Earl Jaques. Eventually, both chambers passed the opt out bill but Governor Jack Markell vetoed the bill less than a month after it passed.
Now Kowalko is back on the House Education Committee. It will definitely change the makeup of the committee again. I reached out to Kowalko who had this to say about the assignment:
I’m very pleased to be in a better position to help the children of Delaware by being placed on the education committee. This will give me the opportunity to more effectively restore the cuts that have been made to public education.
For a rookie education blogger, the House Education Committee meetings were blogger gold back in 2015! It taught me a lot about how Legislative Hall works, what to do, and most definitely what NOT to do! Welcome back to the House Education Committee John Kowalko!
The Season Of Myths 
I am struck dumb by how proper reform is now likely going to be possible for education in my state with the new composition of committees in Dover.
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I understand your optimism, but the reformers had better muster supermajorities in both House and Senate — enough to override any vetoes by the current occupant of Woodburn.
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Egad. What a horrible decision. Kiss any attempt to fix the schools goodbye. He hates anything that doesn’t immediately benefit his main supporters – the unions. I still can’t figure out how he keeps getting elected.
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Probably cause the people in his district thinks he does a good job. And I can see how all those “attempts to fix the schools” has rocketed in excitement over the past few years…
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Katie,
Actually 65% of the people in my district “know” I do a good job and have always encouraged me to keep representing “all” of their interests in “all” matters especially in my efforts to ensure that “all” children in Delaware (regardless of race, socio-economic status, ethnicity, geographic location or political connections) are entitled to an education opportunity equally. Publicly funded (public) education cannot and should not exclude or limit choice access to any “public” school and cannot and will not be denied to any of Delaware’s children because of some personal resentment emanating from a few disgruntled individuals who lay claim to be the arbiters of which children of which social, ethnic origin or economic status may be permitted to share a bus or classroom with their child. You do not “fix” schools or public education by denying a legitimate publicly funded, education opportunity to “all” families that demand it. You cannot and should not use tactics that limit diversity by picking and choosing who gets an opportunity or who doesn’t get an opportunity (and access) to falsely proclaim classroom success as your narrow-minded assessment measure of “fixed” schools suggests. I have been very (publicly) consistent and obvious with my willingness to serve the interests of all Delawareans and have never displayed any hatred (real or imagined) to the people of Delaware. You probably should look in your mirror for that “hate” you seem to be concerned about.
Representative John Kowalko (25th District)
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