My Thoughts on Tonight’s School Choice Event
I know many of you were breathlessly captivated by the 1,492th GOP primary debate tonight and weren’t able to make it to the school choice event in Searcy hosted by The Arkansas Reform Alliance (TARA). But I did attend and I came away with three distinct impressions.
1. Most people–even the highly educated–lack basic understanding of school choice/voucher programs. This is not a knock on anyone, it’s just an observation (that happens to be indisputable) based on the questions of the attendees tonight. If anything, this is a very strong indication of the importance of these types of events and the educational work that TARA is doing. Keep it up.
2. The organizers of the event could not have been more correct: the battle for education freedom will be won (or lost) through social media & citizen engagement. Bumper stickers and yard signs are cool, but the days of winning campaigns with only those types of trinkets are over. Campaigns happen online. The sooner we get every homeschool soccer mom on Twitter, the faster we start to see real momentum towards reform. Don’t think for a second that the teachers union & lobby won’t be using every social media avenue available to smear and destroy any school choice legislation. When this war begins, we need to be ready. We will win it or lose it with social media and citizen activism.
3. We have a state representative that is committed to fighting for this cause. I mentioned in my post from earlier this week that Rep. Biviano would be speaking tonight, and he did not disappoint. It was the first time I have really heard him stump and I must say, I was impressed. He spoke without notes, just from the heart. He even went so far as to say that he is perhaps more passionate about school choice and education reform than tax cuts or fighting Obamacare–”and that’s pretty passionate,” he added. When we start to consider the pressures and the battle that will come with the teachers union (which will likely also include the NEA) as we work towards real reforms, there is no doubt we are going to need a fighter in Little Rock. Perhaps someone who has stood up to the governor, the state insurance commission, the national Department of Health & Human Services, and the Obama administration to fight the implementation of Obamacare is not a bad choice.
A tweetcap of tonight’s forum from my Twitter, in reverse chronological order:
- @MarkBiviano says #SchoolChoice isn’t a solution for everything, but it’s a great step in the right direction. #arleg #arpx #tcot
- @markbiviano says we need competition to fix our schools. #arpx #arleg #tcot #teaparty #schoolchoiceweek
- @LaurieLee0966 says the battle for #schoolchoice will be won on Twitter & Facebook. #fb #arpx #arleg
- @MarkBiviano says the idea that #Arkansas is 5th in #education is misleading. #arpx #arleg #schoolchoiceweek #fb @TARA_AR
- “Our educational problems are dragging this state down.” – @MarkBiviano #arpx #arleg #schoolchoiceweek
- @MarkBiviano says we need some bold, radical reforms in #education. #arpx #arleg #tcot #schoolchoiceweek
- @MarkBiviano: “I’m not proud of a 50% remediation rate.” #arpx #arleg #schoolchoiceweek #tcot
- @MarkBiviano says he may be even more passionate about #SchoolChoice than tax cuts or fighting #Obamacare. #arpx #arleg #schoolchoiceweek
- At the @TARA_AR event in #Searcy. @MarkBiviano opening. #arpx #arleg #schoolchoiceweek
Nic Horton
Biviano Responds to Osborne’s Entrance into State Rep. Race
I reported yesterday that Searcy police chief Kyle Osborne is planning to challenge incumbent state representative Mark Biviano for his seat. I followed up with Biviano’s campaign and asked for comment on these developments.
Biviano said we need someone who is committed to tackling problems if we are going to overcome the challenges we face as a state:
I look forward to a race run on the issues. To truly serve the people of our district it has taken a dedication of time and an understanding of the concerns they face each day. As a small business owner I am very familiar with the challenges of raising a family, running a business and protecting jobs in this economic environment.
I have not been afraid to take on the status quo making a stand to protect our families & businesses
The challenges that face our state over the coming years like the economy, job creation, education and healthcare will take someone who is willing to dedicate the time and effort to both understand and act for the people in our community.
Nic Horton
Searcy Police Chief to Challenge State Representative Biviano
I have known about this for weeks, but I didn’t want to report it until it was somewhat official. Now that is has appeared in Searcy’s fine paper of record, we can discuss it. Searcy police chief Kyle Osborne will be challenging incumbent state representative Mark Biviano for House District 46.
The chief stopped by my house a few weeks ago to discuss a string of burglaries in the neighborhood that I had raised concerns about and I had a chance to ask him if he was indeed planning to run for state representative. He declined to answer my question, saying he was not allowed to discuss politics while on duty, but would get back with me after the first of the year in order to answer my questions (this was just before Christmas). In other words, “I’m running.”
This development will likely count out former Searcy mayor Belinda Laforce who had given every indication that she would run, but after reading my analysis back in the fall, I suspect that the Democrat powers-that-be determined that she could not win–(sorry about that, Rep. Biviano…I shouldn’t have scared her off). So Osborne will run instead, after being heavily recruited by Governor Beebe.
The paper reported last week that Osborne will be retiring from SPD in December of this year.
Haven’t heard back from the chief yet about when we can get together, but I do plan on doing a full interview/candidate profile when he gets back to me. So stay tuned for that.
I suspect Osborne will run an old-fashioned Democrat campaign, meaning the governor will do most of his fundraising and stumping, they’ll put up a lot of signs, and expect a smooth ride to victory. However, Biviano is going to be a formidable candidate.
Despite the fact that he only narrowly beat incumbent Monty Betts (D) last year, Biviano has made a name for himself in Little Rock, championing the defeat of Obamacare implementation in the state–a large thorn in the governor’s side, no doubt. And let’s be honest, Osborne is no Betts. He’s not nearly as well known (or liked) and now Biviano is the incumbent.
Expect Biviano to run a very aggressive grassroots campaign, and Osborne will probably not be able to compete with that, particularly in a year that Obama is on the ballot and the state GOP remains intent on tying every state Democrat to Obamacare.
It’s also worth noting that a lot of work has been done in the last 2 years to dismantle the political establishment in White County. The people have clearly taken back their voice. They will decide this race, not the governor or any establishment.
Nic Horton
Rep. Biviano on Education Reform: “Top Priority in 2013 Session”
Earlier I posted about the upcoming school choice events around Arkansas this week. I also mentioned that our state representative Mark Biviano will be speaking there.
Biviano followed up with me in an email outlining why he believes in school choice for Arkansas, saying that reforming education in the state should be a top priority in the 2013 legislative session.
A recent report said that over 50% of Arkansas’ high school graduates require remediation before they can take a serious college level class. More than 25% of our students are not proficient in reading or math upon completion of the 8th grade. Arkansas also received a (D) in overall achievement K-12. School choice is a viable option that has proven result in other states and one that Arkansas should consider.
Biviano says that school choice gives Arkansas families the ability to choose what educational options best serves their children.
Options range from great public schools, public charter schools, and access to high-quality private schools. This gives all Arkansas students a chance at an excellent education and opportunity for success.
We spend more than two-thirds of our budget on education in Arkansas. With such a large portion of tax payer money going to fund public schools, we need to consider innovative programs that improve our overall results.
Biviano is up for re-election in 2012. No Democrat opponent has officially announced their intentions to challenge Biviano who took Little Rock by storm in 2011, spear-heading efforts against the implementation of Obamacare in the state.
Nic Horton
