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Tuesday, April 17, 2012 | 2 a.m.
John Oceguera
If Assembly Speaker John Oceguera gets into Congress, it will be without a letter of recommendation from the teachers.
Feeling burned by policy changes that eroded long-held rights for teachers, the Nevada State Education Association passed over the Democrat in his 3rd Congressional District race against Republican Rep. Joe Heck, R-Las Vegas. At a board meeting last month, the teachers union recommended no endorsement in the race.
The union is the state affiliate of the National Education Association, which supported the union’s stance. At the state union’s recommendation, the NEA has endorsed the other major Democrats running for Congress in Nevada, including state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, former Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas.
Lynn Warne, president of the state union, said some of the bills Oceguera pushed through the Legislature “struck at the heart of what are labor rights, teachers’ rights. Currently, where (Oceguera) is with his political career, his aspirations, we couldn’t endorse him to our national organization at this time.”
Warne singled out a bill Oceguera co-sponsored that takes away tenure from teachers who have two consecutive years of inadequate evaluations. The union wanted teachers to have the right to a hearing.
Warne said the group did not interview Heck because he did not fill out a candidate questionnaire.
In a toss-up congressional district, in a year when national Democrats hope to flip control of the House of Representatives, the teachers union sitting on the sideline speaks to how bitter last year’s legislative session was for teachers.
It could also be politically costly. Teachers are often the most personal face of government.
During the 2011 session, some Democrats broke with leadership to vote against some of the education legislation.
“If we piss off the teachers, then we are a defunct party,” Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said in March 2011. “They are our backbone.”
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval made “education reforms” a priority during the session, but the bills that passed had to be shepherded by Democrats, who controlled the Assembly and Senate. In fact, Democrats pushed for changes once championed by conservatives, like making it easier to dismiss new teachers, lengthening their probationary period and including student test scores in teacher evaluations.
Some teachers saw it as the outgrowth of a national wave of education reforms, from the federal “Race to the Top” competition to the movie “Waiting for Superman.”
“We supported the majority of the reform bills,” Warne said. “There were a couple of sticking points where there was no compromise to be had. They were real line-in-the-sand issues for us. We told Assemblyman Oceguera, and he chose not to modify the bills.”
Oceguera’s campaign manager, Adam Weiss, said that Oceguera “is both a strong supporter of teachers and the investment in education. John worked diligently to include all stakeholders and ultimately do the right thing for Nevadans.”
The campaign did receive a contribution from the American Federation of Teachers, a separate labor group that is not affiliated with the Nevada State Education Association and represents no educators in Nevada.
Heck’s political adviser, Ryan Erwin, said he couldn’t speak specifically to why they did not fill out the teachers union survey.
“We don’t fill out a lot of surveys. Congressional campaigns are sent literally hundreds of surveys,” he said.
Most educators have become so alienated from both Republican and Democratic Parties, that NO career politician is safe any longer. The on-going assault on education via No Child Left Behind (an unfunded Federal mandate), Race to the Top (a gameshow, competitive race to garner needed funding), and the movement to lower and demean the station of hard working, dedicated teachers, has eroded any confidence in a runaway political system that targets teachers, yet does not hold parents accountable as well.
It is safe to say that teachers are looking to vote in leaders who are NOT beholdened to corporate giants that are dictating policy to the US Department of Education.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
This guy must be okay if the Socialist Teachers Union refuses to back him. The Union is like Pavlov's dogs: ring the election bell and they drool over Dumbocrats no matter their background. Stick with Heck, a known quantity.
i can't stand this clown...
a firefighter...
was absolutely positively pathetic in a leadership position last session...
BUT THE OTHER GUY IS WORSE!!!
"Warne said the group did not interview Heck because he did not fill out a candidate questionnaire."
I can certainly understand the position not to endorse Mr. Oceguera, but I hope they understand the other option of Mr. Heck is horrible beyond belief regarding teachers here in Clark County.
I can safely answer that asking Mr. Heck to fill out a questionnaire regarding teachers would be the same as asking Mitt Romney to reveal the past 30 years of tax statements. It ain't gonna happen.
I know, I know, lesser of two evils thing going on here, but Mr. Heck simply could care less about anything other than himself and scraping together campaign money. As proof, answer this question: What exactly has Mr. Heck done for us since being in office? I can answer that: Nothing, except for being a loyal Tea/Republican Party Of No, No, Hell No, Cannot, Will Not, Will Never Do A Damn Thing.
"Heck's political adviser, Ryan Erwin, said he couldn't speak specifically to why they did not fill out the teachers union survey. 'We don't fill out a lot of surveys. Congressional campaigns are sent literally hundreds of surveys,' he said."
This whole statement is malarkey. Based on his past behavior, I can answer that question for Mr. Heck.
Witness before the election on November 2, 2010. If you went to a nationally recognized website called Project VoteSmart, pretty much all candidates fill out a Political Courage Test that's provided there. Politicians all use that to let people know what they stand for.
Mr. Heck never filled it out. TO THIS DAY, he hasn't filled it out.
TO THIS DAY, he never fills out any damn thing at all.
How the hell did he get elected into office if he didn't stand for anything?
I guess the point I'm making is that at least Mr. Oceguera lets people know his position about things. Even if people disagree.
Mr. Heck could give a rat's butt about what people know about him other than calling Social Security "a Ponzi scheme."
I'm so glad I'm no longer in his district (now in CD1 after re-districting). So, I have rid myself of his total Tea Bagging lunacy.
People in CD3 need to wake up and look at the whole picture. I'm not saying to vote for Mr. Oceguera, but I hope you know what the alternative is. I know education is a big thing, but I guarantee Mr. Heck will not lift a finger at all for teachers. Nor for anyone except himself. You wave money in his face, he might pay attention to you. But only til your wallet/purse is empty. He has demonstrated this the past year and a half.
either way all politicians are the same
"If we p*ss off the teachers, then we are a defunct party," Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said in March 2011. "They are our backbone."
I love when I little truth seeps out. At least Segerblom was honest enough to admit the Dems are union toadies.
Doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know, but it's nice to hear Dems admit they're bought.
I guess I am fortunate because I won't have to vote for either of these guys.
Horsford, Titus and Berkley? And they're proud of backing them? I had more respect for teachers before. Educated and educators? With these three on thier list of endorsements, I wonder where they went to school.
"If we p*ss off the teachers, then we are a defunct party," Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said in March 2011. "They are our backbone."
That is precisely why it should be illegal for public sector unions to engage in political activity such as giving endorsements. It creates a huge conflict of interest for an elected official.
'Not beholden to Corporate Giants'... Good luck with THAT search... word to the wise - don't hold your breath. There isn't a politician in existence who isn't beholden to the almighty dollar.
There are other, better Democratic options for Nevada's teachers and the voters in CD3. Stephen Frye,M.D., understands that teachers collective bargaining rights must be held above those of rapacious corporations like Edison who want to privatize and diminish our country's educational future. Check out Dr. Frye at this past weekends Clark County Democratic Party convention http://youtu.be/D6SZGVG7RR4 You won't find him on the official Nevada State Democratic Party website, he and others not anointed have been excluded. He is however the best choice for teachers, labor and Nevada to represent CD3.
I am seeking the support and endorsement of the education community because I deserve it more than any other endorsement. Education has always been a top priority with me.
Our country's public education fails to be included in the top 25, while Nevada remains the lowest in the Country. This is totally unacceptable to me.
Teachers are the key to our nation's future. At-tracting professional teachers requires better pay and benefits. To insure our country's future, the federal government needs to allocate a greater percentage of the national budget towards edu-cation. These funds should be provided in the form of specific block grants and administered by local school districts. When elected, I will propose a federal program in conjunction with state pro-grams geared to raising the teaching profession to a much higher standard which would in turn attract more students to the teaching profession. Without good teachers in our classrooms, our chil-dren will surely fall behind.
Once elected I intend to sponsor a bill that would include a debt forgiveness clause for educational loans, providing that the original degree chosen was completed and the individual was employed in his or her profession for a period of time (to be determined). Research has shown that the greater one's education is, the greater their earnings are, the more tax they'll pay over their lifetime. The end result is the student receives a free education, society benefits from a more educated population and government receives an excellent return on its investment through increased tax revenues.
My last word on education is that we cannot place the entire blame on our schools or their teachers. It is the parents responsibility to play a more active role by overseeing their child's edu-cational progress. Every school has a percentage of "A" students, lets work together to increase these numbers and make our public education among the best, if not the best in the world.
I am Barry Michaels and I'm running forb CD-3 and seeking the support and endorsement of the education community. I believe I deserve it more than any other endorsement. Education has always been a top priority with me.
Our country's public education fails to be included in the top 25, while Nevada remains the lowest in the Country. This is totally unacceptable to me.
Teachers are the key to our nation's future. At-tracting professional teachers requires better pay and benefits. To insure our country's future, the federal government needs to allocate a greater percentage of the national budget towards edu-cation. These funds should be provided in the form of specific block grants and administered by local school districts.
When elected, I will propose a federal program in conjunction with state pro-grams geared to raising the teaching profession to a much higher standard which would in turn attract more students to the teaching profession. Without good teachers in our classrooms, our chil-dren will surely fall behind.
Once elected I intend to sponsor a bill that would include a debt forgiveness clause for educational loans, providing that the original degree chosen was completed and the individual was employed in his or her profession for a period of time (to be determined). Research has shown that the greater one's education is, the greater their earnings are, the more tax they'll pay over their lifetime. The end result is the student receives a free education, society benefits from a more educated population and government receives an excellent return on its investment through increased tax revenues.
My last word on education is that we cannot place the entire blame on our schools or their teachers. It is the parents responsibility to play a more active role by overseeing their child's edu-cational progress. Every school has a percentage of "A" students, lets work together to increase these numbers and make our public education among the best, if not the best in the world.