Vice President Kamala Harris attends a concert in celebration of Juneteenth, Monday, June 10, 2024 (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) Th
Three of Vice President Kamala Harris’ top speculated choices for running mate in the upcoming presidential election – Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper – have consistently opposed expanding school choice.
Last week, Vice President Harris, the presumptive Party nominee, spoke to members of the teachers’ union and avoided mentioning school choice.
Fox News Contributor Kellyanne Conway commented on the Vice President’s remarks: “She had a great opportunity today to be for school choice and charter schools and educational freedom and opportunity scholarships, it’s a civil rights issue of our time… but she’s playing for the teachers’ unions.”
Read: West Virginia Sen. Capito Intros Bill To Prohibit Federal Contracts With Anti-Israel Entities
The Invest in Education Coalition, an organization advocating for universal school choice, states that the education positions of Vice President Harris and her potential running mates present a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump’s push for more schooling options for parents and students nationwide.
Anthony J. de Nicola, Chairman of Invest in Education Coalition, highlighted the perceived hypocrisy of the governors, all of whom chose to send their children to private schools.
“Democratic leaders’ opposition to empowering parents and giving children the opportunity to get the education of their choice is hypocritical at best. We need strong leaders who will fight to expand school choice so that every child, regardless of their ZIP code, has a chance at a great education. All parents deserve the same options that these governors decided were best for their own children.”
The Invest in Education Coalition pointed out that Governor Shapiro ran on supporting school choice for low-income and working-class families in 2022 but claims he flip-flopped and capitulated to the teachers’ unions.
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board criticized Governor Shapiro’s lack of support for school choice: “The Democratic Governor could have chosen to back a Republican Senate scholarship plan providing thousands of dollars for low-income students in poorly performing schools to attend private options. That would have put some action behind the lip service he’s given vouchers since his 2022 campaign. But last year he killed the vouchers to appease House Democrats, who oppose them, and this year he didn’t spend political capital to sway his fellow party members.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who proudly vetoed school choice, is working to prevent a constitutional amendment guaranteeing school choice from being included on the general election ballot. He said, “Public dollars should only go to public schools, period. I’m against this constitutional amendment. And if they pass it, I will work every day to defeat it at the ballot box in November.”
Read: Treasury Secretary Yellen Calls For $78 Trillion Investment In Global Low-Carbon Transition By 2050
Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a private school tuition payer himself, stated, “They [private schools] don’t have to tell taxpayers what they teach, how their students perform, which students they will reject or whether students even show up at all. That is a reckless, reckless waste of taxpayer money.”
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.
