Chris Reykdal for State Superintendent of Public Instruction (Part Two)

 Update 3:

1) Jones' campaign has hired the former lobbyist for Stand for Children and is using the well-known/notorious campaign director, Christian Sinderman.  

2) The Stranger put out their November endorsements yesterday (partial)

While we understand the case Jones makes for representation in education leadership, we can't support electing someone with views so dangerous to LGBTQ students to the highest position in the state school system.

Reykdal also filled out that right-wing questionnaire, and his answer was definitive: "The standards do not promote cross-dressing and other fabrications of the extreme right," he wrote. "They teach gender identity and self awareness. These are good things not to be vilified."

Vote for the progressive educator without any anti-gay/anti-trans fundamentalist Christian baggage in this race. Vote for Reykdal.

Reykdal is looking better and better by the minute.

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Update 2: The Olympian said it was close but they gave their endorsement to Rekydal, noting his overall experience with both teaching and learning and legislative knowledge.  They also noted this:

Despite her enthusiasm for education, Jones missed several opportunities to vote on public school bonds or levies for North Thurston Public Schools, where her children were enrolled. Reykdal has used this to question her commitment to local schools, but Jones quickly acknowledged to us that she was “irresponsible” not to vote.

end of update

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/editorials/article107958547.html#storylink=cpy

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Update: from the Public Disclosure Commission - two ed reform PACs and Vulcan have paid $167,600 for a mailer in support of Erin Jones.  This action comes out of national Stand for Children office in Portland, Oregon.  

Here is how it breaks down:

-$50,000 from Stand for Children Inc.

-$9,000 from League of Education Voters PAC (Education Voters Political Action Fund)

-$108,600 from Vulcan Inc.

This is the second-largest independent expenditure so far this election season, after a $194,300 IE from No on I-732 people.

end of update

I have previously endorsed Chris Reykdal but with ballots going out this week, I wanted to add to my reasoning.

The newest issue is that another LGBT issue has cost Jones another endorsement.  From The Stranger (bold mine):

The Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee (SEAMEC), a nonpartisan group that rates candidates for local elections based on their positions on GLBT issues, is revoking its rating of state superintendent of public instruction candidate Erin Jones.

When SEAMEC then looked back at its candidate questionnaire from June, group leaders realized that Jones had also stated to SEAMEC that she was against a ban on conversion therapy for minors—in other words, that she was against banning a widely debunked and harmful practice that attempts to force LGBTQ youths into being straight or cisgender. In early August, two months after Jones submitted her SEAMEC questionnaire, Seattle banned conversion therapy on minors.

Jones, who has been working closely with LGBTQ advocates to educate herself after her earlier statements on gender identity and sexual orientation came to light, has since reversed her position on conversion therapy.   

"The more we learned, the more disturbed we are by this candidate," Herb Krohn, SEAMEC spokesperson, said. "We have revoked her rating, and we have voted to endorse Chris Reykdal. I don't know if we settled on what her final rating would be, but it will be substantially lower, and we'll probably be putting a comment next to her numerical grade because of her enormous inconsistencies about her statements in so many venues."

But how could SEAMEC have missed Jones's original answer on a conversion therapy ban?  "We go through 180 candidates in two days," Krohn said. "We overlooked it. Mistakes happen. We're human. But what's important to us is making sure the record is correct and putting out accurate information to the constituents."

This is the second time Jones has reversed her stand/comments on LGBT issues since the campaign started.

I want to circle back to when Jones served as a chapter leader in Spokane for the Christian youth group, Young Life, because I think it goes to the heart of this issue.

When she became a Young Life leader, she had to sign a promise to Young Life that she was not gay nor leading a gay"lifestyle."  During the time she was a Young Life leader (if I have her timeline/story straight), she and her husband took in two young people who had been shunned by their families for coming out as gay.

This was not only the Christian thing to do but a moral thing to do.  It speaks well of Jones and her husband.

However, she continued on as a Young Life leader after they did that.

Is someone's word not their bond?  Is their signature not their promise?

We all get to pick and choose when we join a religion or a political party but when you sign your name, it should mean something.

If she is elected to office, will she pick and choose what to support as state superintendent?  

On LGBT issues, I find this confusing because, on the one hand, she had two gay youth in her home and you might think that would have helped her personal education on LGBT issues.  But, in an interview with Q13, she said her son said she talked about LGBT issues like she was talking in the '80s.

She had youth in her home who were gay but believed in conversion therapy but only after Seattle passed a conversation therapy ban did she change mind on it.

It would appear she just started educating herself during the election.  I find this all confusing and troubling.

Charter Schools
Jones told me in the spring that she was categorically against charter schools.

And yet at the disabilities town hall in September for the two candidates, she said that charters were were an "option" for students of color. 

A softening of her position?  It's unclear.

Reykdal said he rather have the money from the charter grant given to OSPI by the Dept. of Ed to serve Sped students.  He is categorically against charters and that has been his consistent stated position.

(By the way, that was one great forum put on by Arc of King County, Provail, WA Alliance in Autisum and Advocacy, Open Doors for Multicultural Families and Bellevue Special Needs PTSA.  There is no video but here's the audio.  It was one of the best discussions on children with disabilities and education and just a well-organized forum.)

Teachers
Jones has also said some confusing things about teachers.

She told KNKX,  “I’m really coming from the lens of an educator" for the work at OSPI but she told the Times:

"The WEA is a political organization," "It's job is to make sure people are getting paid, not teaching and learning."

Considering that a union IS its members, it makes you wonder what she means.

Donations 
As of today, Erin Jones' campaign has raised $193,70115 and spent $102,671.80.
Reykdal has raised $213,167.42 and spent $145,987.40.

Jones has more overall contributions but many of her donors are the same people who appear to be on a donation schedule.  Both candidates are supported by different Native American tribes.

Of note for Jones' donations there's one from a guy from Teach for America ($1500), at least two people who work for League of Education Voters, and Rep Eric Pettigrew - all ed reformers.

Of note for Reykdal' donations are many union ones besides the teachers' union.

Endorsements
Both Erin Jones and Chris Reykdal have a lot of endorsements in all directions and that is to their credit.  They have legislators, Native American tribal endorsements,

(I also see that Director Geary and Director Burke have endorsed Jones.)

But one area of endorsement that stands out to me is how many people who work at OSPI (and some of who presumably worked with Jones when she was there) are endorsing Reykdal.  Now you could say that those people may want the so-called "status quo" and that's why they endorse Reykdal but I think if the people you have worked with don't endorse you to do the work for the job at that top, that says something.

Jones has many members of the African-American community's endorsements while Reykdal has the endorsement of many the Latino community's endorsements.

The other reason I find Reykdal's endorsement list more compelling is how far it reaches around the state and not just in the Puget Sound region.  That says to me that people throughout the state know and trust Reykdal and he has already established relationships.

Jones is endorsed by the Seattle Times, the News Tribune and The Spokesman Review.

Reykdal is endorsed by The Stranger, the Everett Herald, the Tri-City Herald.

Jones is also endorsed by Jami Lund, a former policy analyst for Washington House Republicans and current education adviser at the Freedom Foundaiton, a conservative think tank.  She is also supported by Susan Hutchison, chairwoman of the Washington Republican Party.  From the Times:

Lund: "What we're looking at is change versus the status quo, and Erin Jones, is my view, is Team Change."

That's very much how ed reformers talk all the time.