NPE Action endorses Kathy Gebhardt for Colorado State Board of Education – 2nd Congressional District.
The Network for Public Education Action proudly supports Kathy Gebhardt for the Colorado State Board of Education 2nd Congressional District. No one is more qualified to serve. Kathy is an education attorney with expertise in school finance, a long-time school board member, and has served on both state and national school board organizations. All five of her children attended public schools.
Executive Director Carol Burris had the following to say about the candidate, “I met Kathy when we worked together on the National Education Policy Center’s Schools of Opportunity Project, which honored public high schools that did an outstanding job providing students with excellent and equitable opportunities. Kathy is a smart, serious professional with a kind heart who cares deeply about all children.”
As a School Board member, she joined the majority decision to deny an Ascent Classical charter school connected with the Hillsdale College Barney Charter School initiative from opening in her district. The poorly prepared application from Ascent sought waivers from nearly all district requirements, including protections against discrimination based on LGBTQ status and disabilities.
The charter school lobby, like the NRA, is known for its staunch opposition to reforms and regulations. It is not above using NRA tactics to put down challenges to protect its privilege. The lobby and its billionaire supporters view every reasonable denial of a charter school as an attack. This is why Kathy was perceived as a threat despite her track record of supporting high-quality, truly public charter schools that cater to unmet community needs.
In this Forbes article, Peter Greene explains how they put forth an unqualified candidate to challenge Kathy–a consultant who worked for the Waltons and whose clients include Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change, the National Alliance of Charter Schools, and PIE, a network of “reform” organizations.
When the unqualified Marisol Rodriguez jumped in, the lobby pulled out all the stops, and the dark money flooded the race. Negative ads against Kathy making ridiculous accusations are now filling mailboxes in Colorado’s Congressional District 2.
Voting has begun by mail and will continue until June 25. Please cast your ballot by mail now or in person on June 25.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. Authorized and paid for by Network for Public Education Action, PO Box 227. New York, NY 10156. 646-678-4477.