Last night, NCDebates.com (a venture of the NC Tea Party PAC) streamed Council of State debates in Winston-Salem. Two of five Republican candidates for NC Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richard Alexander and John Tedseco, participated. Of course, if you live in the Triange, you already know that John Tedesco participated in the debate. The News & Observer could not wait to inform the public that Tedesco “skipped” a school board meeting to do so.
Other school board members running for Council of State offices declined the invitation. David Scholl, a school board member from Union County who is also running for state schools superintendent, wrote,
I wish I could participate, but I have a school board meeting this afternoon/evening. I have a commitment to my community that is important for me to carry out. For more info on me and my vision, please see http://on.fb.me/xsWy9O or www.scholl4schools.com.
Regardless of the politics of attending/skipping the debate, I thought that Alexander and Tedesco did a decent job articulating their education platforms. That said, Republican candidates will need to do a better job describing the flaws in the current system of education governance. References to the “bureaucracy” are not enough.
