1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,760 Speaker 1: Up next, The Truth with Lisa Mouf part of the game. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Truth with Lisa Booth. Education that's 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: the topic this week. You know, we all witnessed how 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: education came to the forefront of the Virginia gubernatorial race 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: between Democrat Terry mccaulliffe and Glenn Yuncan, and ironically, education 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: is the issue that both launched and ended Terry mcculloff's candidacy. 7 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: Mcculloff launched his campaign outside of an elementary school in Richmond, Virginia, 8 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: last December. In September, education voters actually favored him by 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: thirty three points. However, that all changed when this happened 10 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,319 Speaker 1: during one of the debates. I'm not going to let 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: parents come into schools and actually take to folks out 12 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: and make their own decision. So yeah, I guess you've 13 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: stopped the bill that I don't think parents should be 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: telling schools what they should teach. Oh. Oh, so that 15 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: right there, that's what ended his campaign. So you go 16 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: from September to November, and there was a forty two 17 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 1: point swing on the issue of education for voters that 18 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:13,919 Speaker 1: you know, this was the issue that was their issue, 19 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 1: So they forty two points swing from supporting Terry mccaulliff 20 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: by thirty three points in September to heading into the election, 21 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: they favored young In by nine points. In politics, my friends, 22 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: forty two points is insane. But what Yuncan did was 23 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: he he led a parents first revolution and he rode 24 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,559 Speaker 1: that wave to victory. You look at exit pulling, almost 25 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: a quarter of voters said education was the most important 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: issue to them. A majority of those voters picked Glenn Yukan. 27 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: Exit pulling also found that voters who believe parents should 28 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: have a lot of say and what their children were 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: being taught overwhelmingly went for Younkan. So what was behind 30 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: this parents led revolution? What does it mean for the 31 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: mid terms coming up? And what does it mean for 32 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: public schools? I get into all of it with Ian Prior, 33 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: the executive director for Fight for Schools. He is also 34 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 1: a former senior official in the Trump Department of Justice. 35 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: He worked for the NRCC American Crossroads and did a 36 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: bunch of stuff in politics. But most importantly, he has 37 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: a dad and that's how he got started with a 38 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: national grassroots movement that was born out of this fight 39 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: in Loudon County school boards in Virginia. Uh, We're gonna 40 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: get into some of the politics of the education with him, 41 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,119 Speaker 1: what happened in Virginia, what it means for the upcoming 42 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: mid terms. I also have a two for because I have. 43 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: Corey D'Angelis the national director of Research for the American 44 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: Federation for Children. He is also an adjunct scholar at 45 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: the Cato Institute and the executive director of Educational Freedom Institute. 46 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: I mean to get his take on school choice, the 47 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: movement away from government runs schools, and the newest and 48 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: most powerful special interest group parents. Yea, So I'm really 49 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: excited about this next guest. Well, well, and he's my 50 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: friend and then too, It's just been really cool to 51 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: see him dive in and get involved in this parents 52 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: first fight, this parents led revolution that's happening in the 53 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: country on surrounding the issue of education. So I'm looking 54 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: forward to having this conversation. Ian Prior, executive director of 55 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: Fight for Schools, Thanks so much for joining the show. 56 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: Thanks for having you know. Ian, It's it's cool because 57 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: I you know, we know each other from politics, but 58 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: you got involved in this fight as a parent. What 59 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: were you observing? Well, you know, it really started I 60 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: think last summer when I read a story that Loudery 61 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: County Public Schools was using um resources from teaching tolerance 62 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: for a lesson plans and teaching tolerance for people that 63 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: don't know as an arm of the Southern gree Law Center, 64 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: which sounds like a nice institution, but it's a it's 65 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: an advocacy group, and they are extremely left leaning and 66 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: they have their own political agenda. So you know, I 67 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: got immediately concerned with that, and you know, I asked 68 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: the principle. He said, no, they're not using it. But 69 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: I decided to attend one of these committee meetings, these 70 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,679 Speaker 1: Equity committee meetings that was that was virtual at the time, 71 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: and they kept talking about this group called the Equity 72 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: Collaborative who had designed their equity plan. So I dug 73 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: into that report found that it was, i mean, just 74 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,679 Speaker 1: its focus groups with parents, they excluded Asian and Caucasian parents. 75 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: They had all these you know, anonymous anecdotes, um, and 76 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: these statistics that weren't really you know, you can didn't 77 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: really get behind statistics. And they put out this report saying, yes, 78 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,559 Speaker 1: you guys are you know, systemically racist. And from there, um, 79 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: you know, there was an Attorney General investigation based on 80 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: that report in you know, Loudon County said well, we're 81 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: gonna do all this equity stuff, right, We're gonna have 82 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: an equity office, We're gonna an equity committee. We're gonna 83 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 1: keep these consultants on for two more years. And I 84 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: fointed the contract and they ended up paying five hundred 85 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: thousand dollars for this group in so for me, I 86 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: mean at first, it was just what are we spending 87 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: our money on? UM? And you know what I saw 88 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: was certainly something concerning that they're trying to really use 89 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: our schools as a social experiment with large amounts of 90 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: taxpayer dollars. And I ended up, you know, I picked 91 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: that story a couple of places just on my own. 92 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: It was you know, I wasn't getting paid for it. 93 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: And I ended up writing an article in the Federalist 94 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: detailing everything I heard UM. But then I sort of 95 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: lost I lost focus on it. I think after November 96 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: of last year, and I thought that was going to 97 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: be the end of it. Maybe I'd look at private 98 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: schools or you know, kind of Grin and Barrett and 99 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: see if I could you know, inoculate my kids UM 100 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: from from some of the stuff that you know, they 101 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: were focused on um then then then March happened. You know, 102 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 1: But I and the left says that you know, critical 103 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: worry through the theory isn't being taught in Virginia public schools. Yeah, well, 104 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: you know, as I said so many times, of course, 105 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: it's not taught in public schools like chemistry or physics 106 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: is taught, and meritocracy is also not taught, but it's 107 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: applied in schools, and critical race theory is something that 108 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,679 Speaker 1: it is a lens through which the school systems want 109 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: teachers to teach children and write a philosophy that America, 110 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: its institutions, its cultures, its language, um, its school system 111 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: are all systemically racist and they need to basically be 112 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 1: torn down and built back up in this equitable manner. Well, 113 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: and it's also, as you mentioned, it's this idea, it's 114 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: a broader concept that we should be judging each other 115 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: based off of the color of her skin, or we 116 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: should be deriving or value good or bad from the 117 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: color of her skin versus the content of her character. 118 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: And you know, I remember listening to there was a 119 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: mother out of Aladdin County who said her six year 120 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: old daughter was taught that she was born evil because 121 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: she was white during a history lesson. Yeah, I mean 122 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 1: that's the kind of thing we saw. You know. I 123 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: gotta side from a parent of a second grader who 124 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: came home and said, hey, you know, mommy, they told 125 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: me school that women and minorities will never get credit 126 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: for their work. And I'm not seeing this slide. I mean, 127 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: it's it's there. Um. So this is the kind of 128 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: thing that you know, some teachers are utilizing these resources 129 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: and putting them in classroom materials at a very young age. 130 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: And look, there's all kinds of conversations that can be 131 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: had about you know, complex things, but second grade, third grade, 132 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: even middle school and some high school is is not 133 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: really appropriate. Like, let's let kids get the foundation of 134 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: understanding of math, science, history, reading, and writing, and then 135 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: when they get older they can dig into you know, 136 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: more complicated subjects and they'll be able to have that 137 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: foundation and that you know, moral core where they can 138 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: make decisions on their own. But when you're trying to 139 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: do this the children at a young age, they just 140 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: don't simply don't have that yet. But it was also 141 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: parents were seeing sexually explicit content and books being signed 142 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: as well. So it wasn't just you know, some of 143 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: these concerns around critical race theory. I mean there were 144 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: also things like, you know, sexually explicit content, you know, 145 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: talk about some of that and some of the other 146 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: things parents were observing that sort of led to this 147 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: uprising out of Loudon County and in Virginia. Yeah, I 148 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: mean it's really interesting, you know this this really sort 149 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: of started with critical race theory. You see that critical 150 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: race theory is one of the many symptoms of this disease, 151 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: and the disease is political activism being put into our 152 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: schools from our school superintendents, from our school boards. And 153 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: you know, in loud And County they created this diversity 154 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: library in ten and I mean every special interest group 155 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: has books in there for kids of every age. You know, 156 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 1: it's You've got race cars, right, which is all about 157 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: cars and white privilege. You've got transgender books for kids 158 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: that are five, six seven. These are all in the 159 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: library and accessible by any kid. And so you know 160 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: a lot of times you will read the cover of 161 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: these books or the description of some of these books, 162 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: which maybe not as as blatant at the one as 163 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: the ones I've just described, and you think they're fine, 164 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: but then you know, the fourteen year old girl comes 165 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: home and tells her mom about this book that basically glorifies, 166 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: you know, rape culture, and used, why why are we 167 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: putting that in there? What is the purpose of that, 168 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: especially if parents aren't aware. They like to say that, well, 169 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: parents can opt kids out of these books. Well, if 170 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 1: parents don't know and don't read the books themselves, then 171 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: how are they going to opt anyone out if they 172 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: don't have that information. So really, I mean, I think 173 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: what you're seeing is schools are stepping in between parents 174 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: and their children and trying to tell the parents, hey, 175 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: we know what's best you guys, stay away. Well, and 176 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: also an active targeting of parents as well. So talk 177 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: about there's a Facebook group where school board members were 178 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: trying to encourage teachers to doc's parents who were opposed 179 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: to critical race theory and who are rising up and 180 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: concerned about some of the things their parents were being taught. 181 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: You know, talk about that in the school board also, 182 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: you know, going to the links of targeting parents who 183 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 1: were expressing their concerns. Yeah, that's right. And earlier I said, 184 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: you know, I kind of laid off of my investigation 185 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: until March, until chappen. And that's what happened in March 186 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: when you know, there was a private Facebook group called 187 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: the Anti Racist Parents of Bladon County and had six 188 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 1: school board members in it, dozens of people in the administration, 189 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 1: some teachers, and had our Commonwealth attorney in there um 190 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: our sorrows back Commonwealth attorney, and one of the school 191 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: board members basically put out a call to action saying, 192 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 1: you know, we need to push back on the people 193 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: that are opposing critical race theory in our community and 194 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: spreading misinformation in our community. And one of the members 195 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: in there follow that post up by saying, we need 196 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 1: to public we need to infiltrate their groups, we need 197 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: to publicly expose them, we need to hack their websites 198 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: and redirect them the pro critical race theory websites. And 199 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: then you had a third person say, here's how we're 200 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: going to list the first name, last name, area presidents 201 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: school board wrap and you know, between sixty and seventy 202 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: parents were listed for you know, the goal of going 203 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: to speak at school board meetings, either for you know, 204 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: curriculum issues or to try and get schools reopened, and 205 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: I found myself on that list for the federalist article 206 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,839 Speaker 1: that I had written documenting the equity collaborative issue. And 207 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: a second time I was put on that list for 208 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,319 Speaker 1: actually attending a school board meeting last October and expressing 209 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: concerns about First Amendment issues with some of the policies 210 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: that they were passing, and that really lit a fire 211 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: in the community. I mean, you had, you had a 212 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: growing open schools organization already at that point in time, 213 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: and I think it kind of merged people that were 214 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 1: concerned with the curriculum with those that wanted schools reopened. Um. 215 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: And that's when we started our our efforts and launched 216 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,199 Speaker 1: our pack Fight for Schools and our you know, our 217 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: first task was to try and remove for soonative Virginia 218 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: law of those six school board members on the grounds 219 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: that they were violating open meetings laws and you know, 220 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: latently violating their own code of conduct. You know how much, 221 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 1: because you know, we saw throughout COVID obviously online learning 222 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: a lot of the learning, you know, coming home versus 223 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,000 Speaker 1: kids going off to school. What kind of impact do 224 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 1: you think that had on parents just paying more attention 225 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: to the sort of things that their kids are being taught, 226 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: being more involved. Yeah, I mean, I think it's I 227 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 1: think it's twofold. I think one for the first time, 228 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: you know, kids being home, parents wondering when a school 229 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: is going to reopen, and that's the first time they 230 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: really started paying attention to school policy specific to reopening. 231 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: But at the same time, you have these parents who 232 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,959 Speaker 1: are now working from home because they have to take 233 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,679 Speaker 1: care of their kids, and the kids on their chromebooks 234 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: and they're hearing the things that are being taught in school, 235 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: the way the teacher is teaching certain materials. And next thing, 236 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,199 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, we started getting flooded in our 237 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: inbox with screenshots and teacher trainings and all these things 238 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,319 Speaker 1: that were happening online that you really wouldn't have had 239 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: access to if they were just in print and done 240 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: at the school. And I would say it's even it's 241 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: been tougher this year to get some of those things 242 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: because you don't have um the pandemic and kids at 243 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: home doing remote learning. I mean, we still do get 244 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 1: things from teachers teacher trainings, but you know, they're I 245 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: think schools are being a lot more careful now after 246 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: a year of exposed sure because of the parents working 247 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,719 Speaker 1: side by side with their kids at home. Well. And 248 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: what's interesting is you look at the Virginia given a 249 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: toial race and there's no doubt and part of your 250 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: movement and the movement of these parents at Aladdin County 251 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: had a big impact on shaping that election. I mean, 252 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: we saw the issue of education really shoot to the 253 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: forefront heading into election day as the most important issue 254 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,319 Speaker 1: on people's minds, and it really went downhill during that 255 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: UH debate where Terry mcculloff said that parents shouldn't have 256 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: in essence, that parents shouldn't have a say and what 257 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: their kids are being taught. But that's really reflective of 258 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: sort of the Democrat doctrine, isn't it, This idea that 259 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: it should be the government, it should be public schools, 260 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: it should be you know, the teachers in the driver's 261 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: seat versus the parents or us as individuals. I mean, 262 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: it's sort of the you know, the Democrat doctrine, more 263 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: or less, is it not? Yeah, it certainly is. I 264 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 1: mean they you know, it's straight on in uh or 265 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: um marks where it's as soon as you know a 266 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: kid is able to leave the care of his his mother, 267 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 1: then that that child becomes property of the government, and 268 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: I think you're seeing it with with some of these schools. 269 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: And you go back to September and October, and really 270 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: three things happened that that put education at before front. 271 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: You know, the groundwork had been laid um by parents 272 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: over the previous year plus. But first you have mccaulliff 273 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: um saying that at the debate, and then you have 274 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: Attorney General Garland's memo on discussing parents and harassment and 275 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: intimidation as you know, potential investigatory subjects. And then finally 276 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: out here in Lavin County, we learned that there was 277 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: a sexual assault in a bathroom that you know, our 278 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 1: superintendent lied about at a school board meeting, where the 279 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: dad of the girl was arrested, all to pass a 280 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 1: political policy that the vast majority of the community did 281 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: not want pass, which is disgusting, and that you know, 282 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: poor dad was sort of painted as a monster originally 283 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: until people really found out what happened. And you know, boy, 284 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: did he have every right to be upset with what 285 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: happened to his daughter and was just you know, obviously 286 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: being a protective father as most dads would be. Uh, 287 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: you know how reflective. So you Fight for Schools was 288 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: sort of born out of Loudon County, but it's a 289 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: national movement, right yeah, I mean it really has become that. 290 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: It's it's fascinating to me to watch some of the 291 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: the after action reports from the leftist media sites that 292 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: you know, portrayed this as some kind of AstroTurf movement. 293 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: I mean, it was fully from the ground up. We 294 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 1: just we had great volunteers, people that were able to 295 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: to find the information, people that could communicate that information, 296 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: and people that were willing to go out and do 297 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: tasks like collect twenty five thousand signatures on petitions to 298 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 1: remove school board members. And you know, when you're outside 299 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: of Washington, d C. In the confluence of a gubernatorials 300 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: race and really some serious missteps by the Loudon County 301 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: school Board that you know, made for TV moments that 302 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: I think we generated not just attention in our own county, 303 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: certainly attention the Commonwealth of Virginia, but also nationally. And 304 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: you know, I've talked to so many people that that 305 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: email us and say how can we do what you're 306 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: doing there here? And you know, you're starting to see 307 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: it You're starting to see people get engaged with their 308 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: school boards and demand accountability and transparency, and so you're 309 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: on the receiving end of you know, those emails and 310 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: those messages and that kind of communication. You know, how 311 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: reflective do you think your experiences out of Loudon County 312 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: are with what's happening in the rest of the country. 313 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 1: Around the rest of the country. Well, I think every 314 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: every area is going to be a little bit different, 315 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: but you're still going to see the same you know, education, 316 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: education industrial complex really ramming things down school systems throats. 317 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: And the question is, you know, is a school board 318 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: strong enough to resist that? So you know, I don't 319 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: know that every school board in America is as you know, 320 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: unsavvy as the loud And County school Board and continually 321 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: steps in it by you know, putting teachers on administrative 322 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: league for exercising their First Amendment, right you know starting 323 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: um uh, you know a Facebook post that you know, 324 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: plots against parents. Um. But I think generally the symptoms 325 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: are the same, that there's activism in school boards. Um. 326 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 1: These are these are not high turnout races. People don't 327 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,640 Speaker 1: pay much attention, they don't spend a lot of money 328 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: to get their message out. So you're really kind of 329 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:18,120 Speaker 1: left with these very banal statements from school board candidates 330 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: that they're going to get more busses or more recess. 331 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: And so I think one of the best thing that 332 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: can come out of this is really people engaging in 333 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: those school board elections and knowing who their candidates are. 334 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 1: And I think this this is a good moment for 335 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: our representative democracy because you know, our school boards really 336 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 1: make policies that hit closest to home. They it's our children, 337 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: and so having more involvement, paying more attention to the candidates, 338 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: I think is more important than even paying attention to 339 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: congressional candidates the USA Canada, well, you know, Senator Johnson 340 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: made that point on my podcast a little while ago 341 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: of saying that, you know, we always focus all this 342 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,359 Speaker 1: attention on you know, federal elections when really it's the 343 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: local I mean, it's from the bottom up, the ground 344 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,120 Speaker 1: up at school boards, it's state reps. I mean, it's 345 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:03,920 Speaker 1: it's it's everything right that we should really be fighting 346 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: a much broader fight than just on the federal level. 347 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: You know, you talked about you know, parents sort of asking, 348 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: you know, how do we replicate this, what can we do? 349 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,360 Speaker 1: What advice would you give them in terms of trying 350 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:18,159 Speaker 1: to mobilize within their own community and sort of to 351 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 1: bring in to build a similar movement. Yeah. So the 352 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: three things I say, as it's sort of three legs 353 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,639 Speaker 1: of a stool are investigate, communicate, and activate. And the 354 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,680 Speaker 1: investigation prong is really using freedom of information act UM 355 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: to go after materials that that you may have some 356 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: concerning things, and then talking about social emotional learning, critical 357 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: race theory, culturally responsive teaching, UM, finding out what's in 358 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: your school's libraries. Communicate, you have to create parents network 359 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: so that information can be shared, UM. Learn how to 360 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: talk to the media, to get those media lists, figure 361 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: out who's paying attention to this stuff and make sure 362 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: that that they're getting the information. And then finally activating. 363 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: You know, we started a political action committee. Our goal, 364 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: you know, the broad goal for Fight for Schools is 365 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 1: to be involved in local school board elections. It just 366 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: so happens that we don't have school board elections until 367 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: three which is why we you know, one of the 368 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: reasons why we said, well, look we can't wait you know, 369 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: almost three years, UM to get this activist school board 370 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,360 Speaker 1: and this this law breaking school board out of office. 371 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 1: We need to utilize the provisions in the law that 372 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: allow us to to make changes. Not every place is 373 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: going to have that. I wouldn't suggest, you know, everybody's 374 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: trying to recall their school board everywhere. UM, But I 375 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,119 Speaker 1: do think that you have to activate. You have to 376 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 1: create groups, UM. You have to share information, go to 377 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: school board meetings, um, and make your voices heard. Well. 378 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: I always kind of laughed to myself whatever I saw 379 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: you out there on this, because I was like, the 380 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 1: mess with the wrong guy, Because it's like you have 381 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 1: a background obviously as a parent who you know loves 382 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: your kids, but also just have a background in politics 383 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,239 Speaker 1: and sort of understanding how grassroots movements work, understanding how 384 00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 1: politics works, understanding how to build something and execute. So 385 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:01,880 Speaker 1: I always just sort of like at the biggest kick 386 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:03,919 Speaker 1: of seeing you out fighting this fight, because I was like, 387 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: they just messed with the wrong dude. Uh. And a 388 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:08,919 Speaker 1: lot of parents at Aladdin County, you know, who have 389 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: involvement in sort of politics and sort of understand kind 390 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: of how all this works to some degree. You know, look, 391 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: and we both know Democrats have kind of you know, 392 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: education has sort of always been an issue of the 393 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,719 Speaker 1: left to some degree of an issue that they've you know, 394 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: you know, Terry mcclough launched his campaign on education that ironically, 395 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: you know, lost on the issue of education. Uh you know, 396 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,199 Speaker 1: he started and ended with it, but you know it 397 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: ended badly for him. But how do you think, you know, 398 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: looking bigger picture for Republicans heading into the midterm elections, 399 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: how do you see the issue of education and parents 400 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: rights playing out? Well, I think it's going to continue 401 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: to percolate. And you know, one of the things I 402 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: look at you look at international numbers, and I mean 403 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: we we are underperforming. Uh you know, Findling, China, South Korea, 404 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: all these different countries that it seemed to have their 405 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: education system figured out and and we're below them. So 406 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: we've got to be more competitive if we're going to 407 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,199 Speaker 1: play in a global marketplace with you know, when our 408 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: children our future leaders. I also think parent choice is important. 409 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: You know. One of the things that I constantly hear 410 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 1: about from the the equity peddlers is that, well, you know, 411 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 1: we don't want kids to be limited by their zip code. Well, 412 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: no kidding. If if they have parent choice and they 413 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: can send their children to a private school with some 414 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: kind of voucher or some kind of education savings account, 415 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,200 Speaker 1: then they're not going to be limited by their zip 416 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,879 Speaker 1: code and poorly performing schools in their zip code. So 417 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: this is something that if we really believe that we 418 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,919 Speaker 1: want to give everybody an opportunity to succeed, we need 419 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 1: to stop caving to union pressure and and look at 420 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: school choice and funding students, not um not schools well. 421 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: And what's interesting is this conversation, the fight over parents 422 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: rights puts Democrats in a really tough spot because they 423 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: almost can't respond because they're so beholden to the teachers unions, 424 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: and so they really can't offer parents what they deserve 425 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: or which is to be in the driver's seats of 426 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,920 Speaker 1: their kids education, because they're they're beholden to the unions. Yeah, 427 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:07,439 Speaker 1: that's right. And you know, one of the things that 428 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,479 Speaker 1: I've I've had the experience out here is that there 429 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: are a lot of Democrats that, you know, are on 430 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: our side on this issue. You know, I'm not talking 431 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: the Democrat Party, but I'm saying actual Democrats. Um. You know, 432 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 1: they believe in in strong worker protections, but they see 433 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: massive overreach by the Teachers Union. Uh, and they see 434 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: that this issue is really something that that unifies people 435 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:34,439 Speaker 1: and transcends partisan lines, transcends race, ethnicity, gender, religion. And 436 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: so you know, Republicans right now are in the driver's 437 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,159 Speaker 1: seat with education. And as long as Democrats, you know, 438 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: continued about to Randy Weingarten and you know whoever else, 439 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: I think they're going to be on the losing side 440 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: of this. Any other takeaways from what you saw in 441 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: I mean, what were you hearing from some of the 442 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,400 Speaker 1: other parents, because obviously you're out fighting this fight, trying 443 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: to collect signatures, you know, out with these folks. You know, 444 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: what were some of the concerns that they raised? You, 445 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: you know what we're what were some of the conversations, 446 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: Like it was really a menu of things. I mean 447 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: whether it was the private Facebook group or critical race theory, 448 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: or putting Tanner Cross on administrative lead, or the transgender 449 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 1: bathroom policy or the sexual assault cover up. I mean, 450 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: it was all this cornucopia of you know, abused by 451 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: the school board. I think that's the lesson I learned 452 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: from this. Like everybody has their own particular issue on 453 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: why they wanted this school board gone, but at the 454 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: end of the day, it's really about political activists that 455 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: refused to collaborate with their constituents and think that they 456 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,640 Speaker 1: know best. And you know, when you send your kids 457 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,479 Speaker 1: through those two doors every day and you can't trust 458 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: the superintendent, you can't trust your school board members because 459 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: they have a different motivation than you know, actually doing 460 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,159 Speaker 1: the job they were sent there to do. It's really 461 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: hard to have any kind of trust in the system 462 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: in the community. And I think that's that broken down 463 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: trust um is really what galvanized this movement out here. 464 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: You mentioned Tanner Cross. What's the latest with his case. 465 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: He obviously stood up for his religion. Yeah, that's right. 466 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: So Tanner Cross, just for people that they may not know, 467 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: we went to go speak at one of the school 468 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: board meetings as a private citizen living in Loudon County. 469 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:25,360 Speaker 1: He's a teacher, is um dead teacher, But he went 470 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: to speak out against policy eighty forty, which, among other things, 471 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: would require teachers and students to refer to other children 472 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: by their preferred pronouns um. After he made that that 473 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: statement at the school board, he was put on administrative leave. 474 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: He he sued Loudon County Public Schools he won his 475 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 1: preliminary injunction at the circuit court level. Loudn County Public 476 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,600 Speaker 1: Schools drew more money at it lit it on fire, 477 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: went to the Virginia Supreme Court to try and overturn 478 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,360 Speaker 1: that decision. They lost at the Supreme Court, and now 479 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: that case has been amended to add two other teachers 480 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: and their challenging the constitutionality of the policy itself. What 481 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,959 Speaker 1: going on, um, and anything else you wanna leave us 482 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: with before we go. Now, you know, I think one 483 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: of the overarching themes out here is that these parents, 484 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 1: you know, want to be heroes for their kids. And 485 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: what you saw in the collective was parents rising up 486 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: and being heroes for their kids. But also at the 487 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: individual level. I mean a lot of you know, a 488 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: lot of folks that have been out here fighting this fight. 489 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:30,400 Speaker 1: They've gotten um mail to their workplace calling them racist 490 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,639 Speaker 1: or insurrectionists and that they need to be fired. But 491 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 1: what I've seen though, is these parents they take the 492 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: slings and arrows and they keep coming. And you see 493 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 1: a lot of people developing skills that they never thought 494 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,200 Speaker 1: they would have, you know, going on television, um, doing interviews, 495 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: talking to the media. So I would encourage people. You know, 496 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: it's I've done this for a while, so I can 497 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: go out there and talk on TV and no problem. 498 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 1: But it's not hard, and you just kind of have 499 00:25:58,040 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 1: to go out there and do it. And that the 500 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: more see all these everyday parents going out there and 501 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: talking about their experiences, and it's inspiring and I think that, 502 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: you know, anyone can really do what we did in 503 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 1: Loudon County if they're organized enough, they're passionate enough, and 504 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 1: they work together. And thanks so much for joining the 505 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: show and good work. It was really cool to see 506 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 1: you sort of build this movement and put up a 507 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:20,959 Speaker 1: good fight, well a great fight because you guys won 508 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 1: the good guy one, Glenn Dunkin. So thanks for the 509 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 1: timing and great to talk to you, my friend. Thanks 510 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: having Next up is Corey de' angelis, the National director 511 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 1: of Research for the American Federation for Children. We're going 512 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: to get into more school choice issues and some of 513 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: the research that he's been doing over the past couple 514 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 1: of years on this issue. Stay tuned. So my next 515 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 1: guest for this show is Corey de' angelis, who's the 516 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,399 Speaker 1: national director of Research for the American Federation for Children. Well, 517 00:26:58,400 --> 00:26:59,879 Speaker 1: he actually has a lot of hats, but you know, 518 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: get into them. Well we got into them earlier in 519 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: the show. But Corey, how did it feel? So you've 520 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: recently got name checked by Randy Weingarten, who's the president 521 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: of the American Federation of Teachers. Uh, you know she's 522 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: been at the forefront of keeping kids at home, fighting, 523 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: you know, kids from being able to go back to school. 524 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,640 Speaker 1: You know, what were your thoughts on that? How did 525 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: that feel to get name check fire? Yeah, it's pretty great. Um, 526 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 1: And she had a great quote in there where she said, 527 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: check out Corey d'angelist Twitter. She was saying something nagative 528 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:32,679 Speaker 1: about me. But if you pull out that quote that 529 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:35,199 Speaker 1: it sounds pretty good. And I hope she would broadcast 530 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,200 Speaker 1: that to more people. You know, she had a pretty 531 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: good amount of followers that it would be great for 532 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 1: more people to follow me on Twitter at D'Angelis Corey. 533 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: But you know, within that whole exchange with the parents 534 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 1: that she was sending messages to, she was you know, 535 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: it was funny on that part, But the real thing 536 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: that I was trying to highlight by sharing that message 537 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: is that she was essentially throwing the local unions under 538 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 1: the bus pretty much trying to say that it wasn't 539 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 1: her keep the school's closed, it was just the local 540 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: unions where it was tough to work with them and 541 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 1: that's why the schools were closed for so long. And 542 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: the other layer of that is that she specifically called 543 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: out the ny A, the National Education Association local unions, 544 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,400 Speaker 1: which is not her union. She is the the president 545 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: of the American Federation of Teachers the a f T. 546 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: So essentially, um, I'm sure the n e A president, 547 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: Becky Pringle isn't very happy about her Randy Weingarten essentially 548 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: trying to argue that it was the nia's fault, not 549 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:34,440 Speaker 1: the a f T. Um. I mean, it's just obvious 550 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: though that for anyone watching on the sidelines that it 551 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 1: was both of the major union's fault and other local 552 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: unions as well that fought every step of the way 553 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 1: against returning to in person instruction. You have the emails 554 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: that were leaked between the a f T influencing the 555 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: CDC to make it more difficult to reopen the schools 556 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: on at least a couple of occasions, and the NIA 557 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: also had emails influencing the school reopening guidance. To make 558 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,640 Speaker 1: it harder to reopen the schools. So I mean it 559 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: was their fault. Yeah, I was gonna say. I mean 560 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: she she had the role in shaping school closure policy, 561 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: so for her to try to shift blame it is 562 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: just you know, blasphemous. Well, yeah, and her public appearances 563 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 1: on the news and just every day on social media 564 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:27,320 Speaker 1: on Twitter, just the constant stream of fearmongering around reopening 565 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: the schools and support of teachers protesting and striking over 566 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: going back to work. In person, we saw all of 567 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: that over the past year and a half, and she's 568 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: not going to be able to gaslight parents going forward 569 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: when it comes to the school reopening debay, or when 570 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 1: it comes to the curriculum that that was revealed in 571 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,200 Speaker 1: the schools over the over remote learning as well. Uh, 572 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: families aren't stupid. They understand what happened over the past 573 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: year and a half. And you know what, the more 574 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 1: and more that the teachers unions try to continue to 575 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: gaslight parents, the worst it's going to be for them 576 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: going forward, because parents are more mobilized than they ever 577 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: have been before. The teachers unions essentially have overplayed their 578 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: hand and awakened a sleeping giant, and that is parents 579 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: who want more of a say in their kids education, 580 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: and they're gonna fight like we've never seen before for 581 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: the right to educate their kids as they see fit, 582 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: because they're never gonna forget what happened over the past 583 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 1: year and a half. They felt powerless and they don't 584 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 1: want to feel like that ever again, so they're gonna 585 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: continue to fight to make sure that never does happen again. Well, 586 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: and it feels like there's been this cultural awakening happening 587 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 1: in the country, and we've we've seen over the past 588 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: couple of years how this woke left wing ideology has 589 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 1: consumed corporations, the media, politics. We've seen the heavy hand 590 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 1: of government with COVID closures. But once it reached the 591 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: kids and the ones parents started seeing some of this 592 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: stuff percolate and what their children were being taught, it 593 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: was like that they're like, we've had enough, right, Like, 594 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:01,720 Speaker 1: we'll take this other stuff, but not with their kids. 595 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: And now parents have really become you know, this most 596 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: probably the most powerful special interest group in the country. 597 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 1: You know, what do you think that means moving forward? Yeah, 598 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: I mean, for a long time, there's pretty much been 599 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: one big player one big special interest group when it 600 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: comes to Kate the twelve education that has been the 601 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:24,840 Speaker 1: teachers unions and the superintendents administrators associations essentially. But now 602 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: there's a new special interest group in town, and Democratic 603 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: politicians and the teacher unions have to reconcile with that 604 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,600 Speaker 1: and deal with that going forward, because again, the parents 605 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,040 Speaker 1: are not just gonna sit down and shut up, no 606 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: matter how many times the Department of Justice investigates them, 607 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: and no matter how many times the National School Board 608 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: Association tries to silence them and bully them into submission 609 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,440 Speaker 1: by essentially labeling some of them as quote unquote domestic terrorists. 610 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,720 Speaker 1: That's only gonna make parents fight harder than ever going forward. 611 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: And I see a real opportunity, particularly for Republicans, go 612 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,880 Speaker 1: going for We saw the victory in in Virginia and 613 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,320 Speaker 1: how that worked out with Terry mccaull if the Democrat 614 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: essentially saying quote, I don't think parents should be telling 615 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: schools what they should teach. That really backfired in him, 616 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,800 Speaker 1: and he continued to double and triple and quadruple down 617 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:17,840 Speaker 1: on that antiparent rhetoric, and it didn't work for him. 618 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:21,200 Speaker 1: A state that went ten percentage points to Biden swung 619 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 1: twelve percentage points the other way, with young Kins coming 620 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 1: out victorious by two percentage points. And he has thousands 621 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: and thousands of parents who want more of a saying 622 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: their kids educations to think. And I think Terry mccaulloff 623 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: almost had to triple down on this for one for 624 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: a couple of reasons, but one of the main reasons 625 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: is that there's this weird power dynamic at play where 626 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: Democrats have historically relied on the support of the teachers 627 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:52,040 Speaker 1: unions when it comes to education, and they've been able 628 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: to get away with it for a long time. But 629 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: this year, uh, it really backfired on them because parents 630 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 1: are paying more attention than ever. But going forward, if 631 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: a Republican just can just get a Democrat to take 632 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,160 Speaker 1: a stance one way or the other on printal rights, 633 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: the Democrats currently have themselves backed into a lose lose 634 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 1: or a catch twenty two situation where if they come 635 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: out in favor of parental rights, well, then the teachers unions, 636 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 1: one of their biggest donors, are going to come after them. 637 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: But they come out against parental rights. Now, as we've 638 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 1: seen with Terry mccaulliffe in Virginia, Well, parents, this new 639 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: special interest in town is going to hold them accountable 640 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:35,920 Speaker 1: for that. And so if a Republican can lean into education, 641 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: they're likely to see political victories going forward, as we've 642 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: seen in Virginia. That was essentially the test case. Well, 643 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: that's not even true. In eighteen there was Governor to 644 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: Santis owed his victory to quote unquote school choice moms 645 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: because his opponent, Andrew Gillham, came out against the tax 646 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: credit scholarship program. And there were hundreds over a hundred 647 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: thousand students using tax credit scholarships in Florida at the 648 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,800 Speaker 1: time to attend private schools, and the families, the low 649 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:09,800 Speaker 1: income families that wanted to keep that program for their kid. Essentially, 650 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 1: they became a new special interest group in Florida in 651 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: particular because they made education and their kids right to 652 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: attend a private school a voting priority, which some may 653 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: argue and has been argued in the Wall Street Journal 654 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:28,360 Speaker 1: in that school choice moms tipped the governor's race in 655 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,879 Speaker 1: Florida in favor of the Santists. And I think we're 656 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,440 Speaker 1: playing see that playout in Virginia and more and more 657 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: Republicans are seeing that it can be a campaign winner 658 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:42,280 Speaker 1: going forward well, and you're looking at research with school 659 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: choice and a variety of other issues why school choice, 660 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 1: school choices. It's it's a great policy that if you don't, 661 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: if you if it addresses the main problem with Kate 662 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: the twelve education in America, which happens to be this massive, 663 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 1: long existing power and between the public school teachers union 664 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: monopoly and individual families. The money goes directly to a building, 665 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,800 Speaker 1: regardless of the choice of the family, regardless of the 666 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,080 Speaker 1: satisfaction of the family, regardless of how well the students 667 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,800 Speaker 1: needs are being met, And what we've seen over the 668 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: past year and a half, the money goes directly to 669 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: a building regardless of whether they even open their doors 670 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:25,120 Speaker 1: for business. And that problem has been amplified and put 671 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 1: into the national spotlight more than ever this past year 672 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:32,840 Speaker 1: and a half, where the education funding is supposed to 673 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,000 Speaker 1: be meant for the kids, but instead of following the kids, 674 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,880 Speaker 1: that go straight to a building regardless whether it's even 675 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,160 Speaker 1: open or not. And what's interesting to me is that 676 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: a lot of the same people that support just about 677 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: every other taxpayer funded initiative that that goes to individuals 678 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: as opposed to institutions. They get all up in arms 679 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:53,600 Speaker 1: about it only when it comes to Kate the twelve 680 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: education and just think about it. With higher education, we 681 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:00,320 Speaker 1: have pell grants where the money goes to the student 682 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: and they can choose the community college that they like, 683 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 1: but they can also take PELL grant funding to a private, 684 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,680 Speaker 1: religious or non religious university. We do the same thing 685 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,840 Speaker 1: and fund people as opposed to buildings with with precate 686 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,920 Speaker 1: programs as well, including the federal head Start program. The 687 00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,719 Speaker 1: money follows the decision of the family. They could take 688 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,800 Speaker 1: their kids that PreK education dollars to a public provider 689 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,680 Speaker 1: or a private religious or non religious provider or pre 690 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,320 Speaker 1: K services. We do the same thing with food stamps. 691 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:29,480 Speaker 1: We don't tell low income families that they must take 692 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 1: their taxpayer funded food stamps to a residentially assigned government 693 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,120 Speaker 1: run grocery store, and most people would understand that would 694 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: be absolutely ridiculous. Instead, the money goes rightfully to the 695 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,440 Speaker 1: families and they could choose Walmart that they want, but 696 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:44,239 Speaker 1: they can also go to Trader Joe's Safe Way Harris Teeter. 697 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,880 Speaker 1: The money follows the decision of the family. We do 698 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,279 Speaker 1: the same thing with Medicaid dollars that can be used 699 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: at private religious hospitals. If you want same thing with 700 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:56,319 Speaker 1: Section eight housing vouchers. The funding follows the decision of 701 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 1: the person or the families, And so the same people 702 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: that support all of these other initiatives that fund individuals 703 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: directly as opposed to buildings, they only get all up 704 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:09,720 Speaker 1: in arms when it comes to the in between years 705 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:12,719 Speaker 1: of case to twelve education. And the reality is that 706 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:16,280 Speaker 1: the only difference there, and the only way to bridge 707 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: the apparent logical inconsistency, is to understand that there's a 708 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 1: difference in power dynamics. That choice is the norm with 709 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:25,960 Speaker 1: higher education, pre K and just about everything else in 710 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: the United States and every other industry. But choice threatens 711 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:31,919 Speaker 1: an in trenched special interest that profits from that would 712 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:36,400 Speaker 1: otherwise profit from getting children's education dollars, regardless of that 713 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,879 Speaker 1: of the satisfaction levels of the families. So they fight 714 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,759 Speaker 1: really hard. The teachers unions fight really hard against any 715 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:46,439 Speaker 1: change to the status quo. But luckily there's a new 716 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,920 Speaker 1: special interest in town parents, and they're gonna fight harder 717 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,040 Speaker 1: for the right to educate their kids as they see fit, 718 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,399 Speaker 1: harder than anybody else. Is going to fight to take 719 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 1: that right away from them. So I'm optimistic going forward, 720 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,920 Speaker 1: especially with what we're seeing on the school choice landscape 721 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 1: in we're declaring this officially, and let's talk about that, 722 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:11,360 Speaker 1: because we've seen pulling shift dramatically throughout COVID in the 723 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:14,080 Speaker 1: direction of I mean, it's always been popular, but the 724 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: support has just increased substantially. Talk about some of the 725 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:21,800 Speaker 1: shifts you've seen in polling and support of school choice. 726 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:24,880 Speaker 1: The latest Real Clear Opinion Research polling has found a 727 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:28,480 Speaker 1: ten percentage point surge and support for school choice policies, 728 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:32,000 Speaker 1: or what I would call funding students as opposed to systems, 729 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 1: was sixty four percent of Americans supporting school choice in 730 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: April to seventy percent support of school choice among Americans 731 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,279 Speaker 1: in the general public in June of one. That's a 732 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:47,840 Speaker 1: ten percentage point surge. And some of the biggest jumps 733 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,719 Speaker 1: in support have been among families who have kids in 734 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 1: the public school system, Families who otherwise thought that they 735 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:57,040 Speaker 1: had their kids in a great environment. Maybe they started 736 00:38:57,080 --> 00:38:59,600 Speaker 1: to understand that even if their schools a quote unquote 737 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,320 Speaker 1: a rated school based on math and reading test scores, 738 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,760 Speaker 1: it might not align with their values. And then also, 739 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: even if they like their public school for now, they 740 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,239 Speaker 1: may not want to feel powerless ever again, and they 741 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:13,640 Speaker 1: just want to have an exit option just in case. 742 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,040 Speaker 1: And the best exit option is to have the money 743 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 1: follow the child to wherever they're getting an education, because 744 00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:21,879 Speaker 1: you can still take that taxpayer funding. In the United States, 745 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:25,239 Speaker 1: we spent about fifteen sixteen thousand dollars per child per 746 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: year in the government school system. You can still have 747 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 1: that option on the table with school choice policies. If 748 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 1: you like your public school, you can keep your public school. 749 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,839 Speaker 1: But for real, this time, we actually mean it when 750 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: we say it, as opposed to something that was said 751 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:43,480 Speaker 1: about keeping your doctors a few years back. But uh, look, 752 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:47,239 Speaker 1: there's also been another poll by Morning Consult finding that 753 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:52,359 Speaker 1: the latest survey finding finding that nationwide about seventy eight 754 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: percent of Americans support the concept of funding students directly 755 00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:58,520 Speaker 1: through something called an education Save mus account, which I 756 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: would argue as the goal standard of school choice going forward, 757 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:05,040 Speaker 1: where the money could follow the child to wherever they're 758 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 1: getting in education. Could be the public school, could be 759 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,480 Speaker 1: a private school, but could also be any other approved 760 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:15,279 Speaker 1: education provider, including private tutors, micro schools, pandemic pods that 761 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 1: we've seen sprout up over the past year and a 762 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:22,200 Speaker 1: half could use the funding for special needs educational services 763 00:40:22,239 --> 00:40:25,480 Speaker 1: and therapies any approved education provider, And so it really 764 00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:29,239 Speaker 1: takes us from the conversation of school choice to education 765 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,239 Speaker 1: choice and provides the ultimate flexibility on the on the 766 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,359 Speaker 1: part of parents. So again, I'm really optimistic going forward, 767 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:39,240 Speaker 1: especially since we're not just seeing this in the polls. 768 00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:43,239 Speaker 1: We're seeing this with elections with in Virginia, but then 769 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: we're also seeing this with real programs giving families more 770 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:51,000 Speaker 1: options on the ground and states across the country, and 771 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:53,960 Speaker 1: in one we're deeming we're dubbing this the year of 772 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,279 Speaker 1: school choice, or if you're really hip with the lingo 773 00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: by now, is the year that we fund students, not systems. 774 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: Because eighteen states in expanded or enacted programs to fund 775 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: students directly as opposed to failing closed government school buildings. 776 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:14,040 Speaker 1: And if you compare that to the previous legislative session, 777 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: I can only recall one state, Utah, that had a 778 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:21,080 Speaker 1: new private school choice initiative. They launched a tax credit 779 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:25,239 Speaker 1: scholarship program. So we've gone from essentially a stalemate with 780 00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: with school choice in the previous session too. Uh, school 781 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,880 Speaker 1: choice going gangbusters in and I think it's part of 782 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:35,240 Speaker 1: the part of the reason for this is because parents 783 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:38,439 Speaker 1: have emerged as this new special interest group and they've 784 00:41:38,719 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 1: woken up like they've never had before, and they're pushing 785 00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:45,239 Speaker 1: for freedom in their kids education and that has me 786 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,160 Speaker 1: optimistic for for families and educational freedom going forward. We all, 787 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,360 Speaker 1: I mean, we also have an Education Freedom Pledge where 788 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,960 Speaker 1: over a two hundred lawmakers since last week, since the 789 00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: Virginia election, have signed a pledge to support parental right. 790 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,960 Speaker 1: And what is that pledge. It's a it's the ED 791 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:05,560 Speaker 1: Freedom Pledge. You can go to ed freedom pledge dot 792 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:07,680 Speaker 1: com or if you want to write the whole thing out, 793 00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:11,680 Speaker 1: education Freedom Pledge dot com. But over two hundred lawmakers 794 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:14,560 Speaker 1: from over twenty five states have already signed on to 795 00:42:14,719 --> 00:42:18,200 Speaker 1: support policies like school choice policies and then also for 796 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 1: the right for parents to show up at their school 797 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:24,359 Speaker 1: board meetings and to voice their opinions in a peaceful way. 798 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:29,240 Speaker 1: And over d voters in the past week have already 799 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,840 Speaker 1: signed the pledge to support candidates that support educational freedom. 800 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 1: And we've also seen I mean there's been a huge 801 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:38,480 Speaker 1: shift of parents voting with their feet essentially and taking 802 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: their kids out of government runs schools. What does that 803 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:44,759 Speaker 1: looks like? What does that shift look like? There's been 804 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,439 Speaker 1: a mass exodus from the government school system like we've 805 00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:50,600 Speaker 1: never seen before or at least in modern history. With 806 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:53,680 Speaker 1: the latest data that I've seen nationwide, at least one 807 00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:57,360 Speaker 1: point five million students have left the government run school 808 00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:00,399 Speaker 1: system and they've been voting with their feet towards home 809 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:04,000 Speaker 1: schooling and too charter schools in large numbers, again like 810 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,960 Speaker 1: we've never seen before, with the latest U S Census 811 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: Bureaus American Post survey suggesting that the formal home schooling population, 812 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:14,799 Speaker 1: not government schooling at home or private schooling at home, 813 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:17,680 Speaker 1: but actually pulling your kids out of the system, public 814 00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:21,520 Speaker 1: or private and homeschooling them formally has tripled since pre 815 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 1: pandemic levels, with now over eleven percent of households reporting 816 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:29,839 Speaker 1: that they're home schooling at least one kid. And if 817 00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 1: you look at charter schools, The National Associal Alliance Republic 818 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: Charter Schools put out a report from using data from 819 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 1: I believe forty two different states, finding that although government 820 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,640 Speaker 1: schools lost about one point five million students over the 821 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:47,920 Speaker 1: past year in those forty two states that the charter 822 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:52,560 Speaker 1: schools have increased their enrollment by over three hundred thousand students, 823 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:56,320 Speaker 1: which turns out to be about a seven percent increase 824 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: in student enrollment when it comes to charter schools. And 825 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:01,879 Speaker 1: on the flip side, the government runs schools have lost 826 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,479 Speaker 1: about three percent of their enrollments over the past years 827 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,400 Speaker 1: since pre pandemic levels. Well, and we've seen, you know, 828 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,200 Speaker 1: a lot of kids across the country, you know, how 829 00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:15,040 Speaker 1: to stay home. They're doing online learning. That also disproportionately 830 00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:17,319 Speaker 1: impacts lower income kids who don't have the same level 831 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:19,239 Speaker 1: of tools that some of the you know, wealth here 832 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:23,120 Speaker 1: children have. What do you think, big picture, the overall 833 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:25,919 Speaker 1: impact of those schools closures will have for the years 834 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:29,560 Speaker 1: to come with education, Yeah, I mean, I think a 835 00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:31,839 Speaker 1: lot there are going to be some families that put 836 00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:34,040 Speaker 1: their kids back in the public school system, but there's 837 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,160 Speaker 1: also a lot of families that because they've got a 838 00:44:36,239 --> 00:44:39,120 Speaker 1: taste of home based education, a lot of people that 839 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,799 Speaker 1: were never going to do it started to figure out 840 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:44,359 Speaker 1: that well, maybe it's not so bad, and maybe there's 841 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:47,000 Speaker 1: a lot of benefits in terms of getting more done 842 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:50,279 Speaker 1: in a less amount of time. And maybe this the 843 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:54,000 Speaker 1: parents have uh found new new confidence in their abilities 844 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 1: to home educate their children. So there's gonna be a 845 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:59,399 Speaker 1: lot of them that that keep doing what they're doing 846 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:01,879 Speaker 1: currently with our kids. But it's hard to really tell 847 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:04,840 Speaker 1: how long it's going to last. But a lot of 848 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:06,799 Speaker 1: people thought that parents were already going to send their 849 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:08,839 Speaker 1: kids back to the public schools, and we're seeing that 850 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:12,080 Speaker 1: it hasn't happened yet. And the longer that this that 851 00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,680 Speaker 1: that that parents continue to privately educate their kids, the 852 00:45:15,680 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: longer it's likely to last in the long term. And 853 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,640 Speaker 1: just imagine if we had more educational choice programs where 854 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:24,560 Speaker 1: the money followed the kids. We're looking at this happening 855 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:27,479 Speaker 1: in real time in a place in a country where 856 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:32,120 Speaker 1: we don't have expansive educational freedom at the moment, even 857 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:34,040 Speaker 1: though we've made a lot of headway in the in 858 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:37,040 Speaker 1: the past year and a half, Just imagine if the 859 00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:39,919 Speaker 1: fifteen sixteen thousand dollars followed the child to wherever they're 860 00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:43,000 Speaker 1: getting an education, you'd see an even bigger exodus from 861 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:46,319 Speaker 1: the government run school system. And the reality is the 862 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:49,439 Speaker 1: most advantaged families over the past year and a half 863 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:51,600 Speaker 1: were at least more likely to be able to cover 864 00:45:51,680 --> 00:45:55,880 Speaker 1: the cost of micro schools and pandemic pods paying for 865 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: private tutors. They were more likely at least to be 866 00:45:58,680 --> 00:46:01,440 Speaker 1: able to pay for private school tuition and fees out 867 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:05,640 Speaker 1: of pocket, and the least likely had to had to 868 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,080 Speaker 1: essentially get what the government was giving them, which wasn't 869 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:09,799 Speaker 1: really great in a lot of cases. And so in 870 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:14,920 Speaker 1: that sense, funding students directly and empowering families is an 871 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,360 Speaker 1: equalizer allows more families to access these kinds of educational alternatives. 872 00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:21,680 Speaker 1: So school choice is an equalizer. And this is a 873 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:24,239 Speaker 1: great argument for why we should allow the funding to 874 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:28,520 Speaker 1: follow every child to wherever education provider works best for them. 875 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,759 Speaker 1: And look, if you look at polling on this subject, 876 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:35,880 Speaker 1: it's been done consistently and although about and these are 877 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:39,400 Speaker 1: pre pandemic numbers, although about eighty three percent of students 878 00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:44,120 Speaker 1: were in resident in government run schools pre pandemic, if 879 00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:46,160 Speaker 1: you ask parents where they'd like to send their kids 880 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,400 Speaker 1: if money weren't an issue, well only that number drops 881 00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:52,600 Speaker 1: to about only thirty percent of parents would prefer a 882 00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:55,760 Speaker 1: government run school. Uh. And look, a lot of families 883 00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:58,600 Speaker 1: like their their government run school that they're residentially assigned to. 884 00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:00,319 Speaker 1: And that's fine, they should still be able had that 885 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:05,280 Speaker 1: opportunity on the table. But those numbers suggest that large 886 00:47:05,360 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 1: swaths of the population, particularly the least advantage in society, 887 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:15,480 Speaker 1: are not happy with the residentially assigned public school and 888 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:19,080 Speaker 1: how it's working for their kids. So if we allow 889 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:21,800 Speaker 1: the money that fallow the child, we we would provide 890 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:25,240 Speaker 1: more equity in society while providing more competition and freedom 891 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:27,520 Speaker 1: at the same time. Well, and that's what I never understood, 892 00:47:27,560 --> 00:47:30,719 Speaker 1: cause I interviewed the former Secretary of Education, Betsy Devas 893 00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:32,920 Speaker 1: on the show, and I never understood the attacks she 894 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,920 Speaker 1: got because look, she's loaded, right, so she she was 895 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:38,000 Speaker 1: able to send her kids wherever she wants. So she's 896 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:40,640 Speaker 1: not fighting for, you know, people that have that kind 897 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:42,319 Speaker 1: of She's fighting for people who don't have the same 898 00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:45,719 Speaker 1: opportunity to into the same resources to send their kids 899 00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:48,480 Speaker 1: to better school. So I never really understood why she 900 00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,239 Speaker 1: was attacked. So, you know, it just never really made 901 00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: sense to me, because that's the whole point with school 902 00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:57,320 Speaker 1: choice really is that your zip code shouldn't determine the outcome. 903 00:47:57,360 --> 00:48:00,200 Speaker 1: Your zip code shouldn't determine the kind of education you 904 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,879 Speaker 1: you get. An education is the great, you know, lifter 905 00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:05,120 Speaker 1: of all things, right, Like, if you get a good education, 906 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,640 Speaker 1: you can go on and do different things that you 907 00:48:07,880 --> 00:48:10,520 Speaker 1: might not have the same level of opportunities if you 908 00:48:10,520 --> 00:48:13,239 Speaker 1: know you're you're you're not getting that same level of education. So, 909 00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:15,839 Speaker 1: as you mentioned before, it really is this great equalizer 910 00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:19,520 Speaker 1: of freedom where you know your zip code doesn't determine 911 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,239 Speaker 1: the outcome of a child's future. Yeah, I mean, the 912 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,520 Speaker 1: unions were shaking in their boots with that Savoston office. 913 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:28,160 Speaker 1: That's that's the reason why she got so much pushed back. 914 00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:31,360 Speaker 1: It's because the unions did not saw her as a 915 00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:35,000 Speaker 1: threat to their monopoly that they have right now. And look, 916 00:48:35,080 --> 00:48:37,960 Speaker 1: we've already seen this exodus coming from in the public 917 00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:42,520 Speaker 1: school system. Without massive school choice in place, just imagine 918 00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:45,279 Speaker 1: how many more students they would lose and funding associated 919 00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:48,560 Speaker 1: with those students. That's why the union freaked out and 920 00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:51,879 Speaker 1: act like the sky is falling when there's any suggestion 921 00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:54,800 Speaker 1: that we should empower parents and have the money follow 922 00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:57,480 Speaker 1: the child to wherever their kids are getting in education. 923 00:48:57,560 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 1: Because they know that a lot of families aren't happy 924 00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:02,120 Speaker 1: with their with what they're getting, and so they fight 925 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:06,560 Speaker 1: really hard to to trap the least advantaged kids in 926 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:10,160 Speaker 1: their schools. Uh where where that that are failing those 927 00:49:10,239 --> 00:49:13,680 Speaker 1: kids And that's that's a huge injustice in the current 928 00:49:13,719 --> 00:49:16,920 Speaker 1: government runs school system. And look, this kind of came 929 00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:19,240 Speaker 1: out with Terry mccauliffe too in the in the Virginia 930 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:24,120 Speaker 1: gubernatorial race. On one of his last mainstream media um 931 00:49:24,120 --> 00:49:27,279 Speaker 1: performances on on Meet the Press, Uh, they were talking 932 00:49:27,320 --> 00:49:31,120 Speaker 1: about education and Terry mccaulliffe essentially tried to imply that 933 00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:33,120 Speaker 1: he sent his kids the public schools in Virginia. He 934 00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:35,800 Speaker 1: was saying something along the lines of, you know, Virginia 935 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:37,919 Speaker 1: public school system is great. And then in the very 936 00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:40,919 Speaker 1: next statement he said, Dorothy and I raised our kids 937 00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:43,680 Speaker 1: in Virginia, essentially trying to imply that he sent his 938 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:46,560 Speaker 1: kids to the public school system in Virginia, but he 939 00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:49,759 Speaker 1: sent all his kids to private school. He exclusively attended 940 00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:53,120 Speaker 1: private school from K through twelve and in higher education. 941 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:56,480 Speaker 1: And people that are fighting for educational freedom just want 942 00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:59,279 Speaker 1: more families to have those same kinds of opportunities. It's 943 00:49:59,360 --> 00:50:03,000 Speaker 1: great that Ry McCall has had. Yeah, same We see 944 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:05,440 Speaker 1: it over and over and over again. I was gonna say, 945 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:07,640 Speaker 1: how many of these guys have that story where they 946 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:12,160 Speaker 1: prevent children that don't have the same resources from getting 947 00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:15,040 Speaker 1: a better, better education, but they sure send their kids 948 00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:17,520 Speaker 1: to private schools. I mean, there's like a long list 949 00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:20,760 Speaker 1: of these guys. I mean, it's the hypocrisy is endless. 950 00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:24,080 Speaker 1: And that's another reason why school choice and parental rights 951 00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:30,040 Speaker 1: is especially advantageous politically for Republicans at the moment because 952 00:50:30,040 --> 00:50:33,880 Speaker 1: it exposes multiple layers of hypocrisy, one of the layers 953 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:36,680 Speaker 1: being that their opponents usually send their kids to private schools. 954 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:39,279 Speaker 1: And the other, you know, layer of hypocrisy is that 955 00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:42,400 Speaker 1: a lot of the Democrats in office support funding people 956 00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:44,799 Speaker 1: when it comes to higher education and pre K as 957 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:47,200 Speaker 1: opposed to the money going directly to the buildings, but 958 00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:49,160 Speaker 1: then they opposed it for the in between years of 959 00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:52,239 Speaker 1: K the twelve education. They also support funding people when 960 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:56,680 Speaker 1: it comes to food stamps or housing, Medicaid dollars, everything else. 961 00:50:57,640 --> 00:50:59,480 Speaker 1: And so it raises the question, well, why would you 962 00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:01,480 Speaker 1: be against when it comes to the in between years 963 00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:04,360 Speaker 1: of K the twelve education? And as I mentioned earlier, 964 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,560 Speaker 1: the only reason for that is because the unions are 965 00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:11,560 Speaker 1: fighting as hard as possible, and they disproportionately donate to 966 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:14,640 Speaker 1: democratic political candidates, and they fight as hard as possible 967 00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:17,480 Speaker 1: to cement the status quo and to protect their monopoly. 968 00:51:17,480 --> 00:51:19,520 Speaker 1: And that's a problem. But more and more people are 969 00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:22,319 Speaker 1: waking up to that problem, and I think the whole 970 00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: power dynamic and politics is gonna shift going forward, where 971 00:51:25,719 --> 00:51:28,520 Speaker 1: people politicians of all stripes are going to have to 972 00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:31,960 Speaker 1: consider the needs of parents more than they ever have before, 973 00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:34,120 Speaker 1: and they're going to have to do more than just 974 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:38,359 Speaker 1: simply listen to the wills and the desires of the teachers. Well, 975 00:51:38,360 --> 00:51:41,480 Speaker 1: Corey D'Angelo as, I hope this momentum continue is that 976 00:51:41,560 --> 00:51:44,560 Speaker 1: we saw from Virginia. I appreciate the work you do, 977 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:47,440 Speaker 1: and I fully believe in school choice and giving parents 978 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:49,840 Speaker 1: the opportunity to send their kids to get them a 979 00:51:49,880 --> 00:51:52,440 Speaker 1: better education. So thanks so much for joining the show. 980 00:51:52,440 --> 00:52:05,000 Speaker 1: I appreciate your time and your work. Thank you so much, Lisa. 981 00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:08,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna thank Ian prior in Corey d'angelas again for 982 00:52:09,080 --> 00:52:11,480 Speaker 1: great interviews, and I want to thank you guys at 983 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:14,319 Speaker 1: home for listening. If you enjoyed today's show, please give 984 00:52:14,400 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: us a review and rate us five stars and Apple podcasts. 985 00:52:17,120 --> 00:52:20,400 Speaker 1: I love reading them. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, 986 00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:23,560 Speaker 1: and Instagram and at least some rebooth special thanks to 987 00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:27,520 Speaker 1: our team producer John Cassio, researcher and writer Aaron Kleegman, 988 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:31,200 Speaker 1: executive producer is Debbie Myers, and speaker New Gingrich, all 989 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:34,600 Speaker 1: part of the Gingridge three sixty network and team