Network for Public Education to Hold First Annual Conference in March

Volume 1, Issue: #30  November 23, 2013

Inside NPE News Election 2013: The Results Victorious Sue Peters Thanks NPE Check out NPE News Briefs - a service from the Network for Public Education - for the latest headlines from journalists and bloggers around the country. You can even subscribe to our once-daily digest - delivered via email every day. NPE News Briefs NPE News Briefs PODCASTS This week, Julian Vasquez Heilig discusses charter school policies and practices Reign of Error,  the new book by Diane Ravitch is now available for purchase from major outlets. Find details here!

Greetings! The Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014 (the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The University of Texas at Austin. In the coming weeks, we will release more details. In the meantime, make your travel plans and click this link and submit your email address to receive updates about the NPE National Conference 2014. Information will also be available on Facebook, Twitter, and on the NPE website.   Click here to receive information about the NPE National Conference 2014  Sue Peters - Seattle School Board Director-Elect - Thanks NPE Members for Contributing to Her Victory Dear Diane and members and supporters of the Network for Public Education, Once again, I am pleased to extend my thanks to you and NPE for your invaluable support and endorsement of my grassroots candidacy for Seattle School Board. I am thrilled to announce that we won - convincingly! On Election night, we led by 51-48 percent, and that lead has only grown with every new vote tally. We are now approaching a 9-point margin, at 54-45 percent. That is nearly a 14,000-vote lead. Why Our Win Matters: This is a victory not only for my campaign, but for communities, families, and educators everywhere who are the key stakeholders in public education, but whose voices are not always heard in the national debate over education reform, or in our own local school district. This is also a victory for authentic, grassroots democracy. Seattle voters did not allow a small group of moneyed interests to buy this election. My opponent's campaign and political action committee (PAC) spent a record-breaking $240,000+, much of it on negative campaigning, most of it bankrolled by a small group of wealthy proponents of corporate ed reform and charter schools. The PAC attacked my candidacy four times throughout the campaign with progressively more mendacious and offensive mailers. The attacks focused almost entirely on defending the Gates Foundation, in a bizarre and unsuccessful attempt to discredit me, and completely ignored the important issues facing our school district like overcrowding, inequity of resources among our schools, excessive testing and low teacher morale. This amount of money and such tactics are unprecedented not only in Seattle but Washington State for a school board race. Thankfully, voters were not fooled by the distortions and diversions. I am proud of my authentic, fiscally responsible, volunteer-driven campaign, which remained focused on the issues and maintained its integrity. I am also grateful to everyone who helped us counter the barrage of misinformation, and to those of you who promoted my candidacy personally. I want to particularly thank Dr. Diane Ravitch, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and national education historian, who recognized that my campaign represented a national battle over the integrity and future of public education. Her support gave important legitimacy to our campaign and to my efforts over the years to engage on education issues, as both a journalist and parent. I believe my near decade of experience with the Seattle Public School District resonated with voters, as well as my clear commitment to keeping the public in public education. Thank you again. Sincerely, Sue Peters Parent, journalist, public education advocate, and Seattle School Board Director-Elect Please forward this newsletter far and wide!  In solidarity, The Network For Public Education