Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Ted Strickland on Tuesday said he supports a nationwide moratorium on for-profit charter schools.
"I'm opposed to for-profit charter schools because I do not believe that educating our kids should become a for-profit activity," said Strickland, who called for a similar freeze in Ohio as governor in 2007. "I would love to see a nationwide moratorium on for-profit charter schools."
Strickland made the comments to reporters at a downtown Columbus high school after laying out his education priorities if he defeats Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in November.
The Columbus Democrat spoke out against "excessive, oppressive testing," saying instead that educators should use "systems of accountability that inform instruction."
"As one who believes real learning is fun, I will strongly advocate for a curriculum that not only teaches the basics, but provides for creativity and imagination in our schools," Strickland said.
Strickland praised the Every Student Succeeds Act, passed by Congress last fall to replace the much-criticized No Child Left Behind laws. Strickland called the new law "a reason to be hopeful."
"We must fight to protect and strengthen public education in the face of deliberate and detrimental efforts to privatize our schools," he said.
"Shadowy, sometimes out-of-state, corporations are trying to divert our tax dollars away from our public schools in order to profit from the education of our kids."
Strickland recounted the data-rigging scandal at the Ohio Department of Education to improve sponsor evaluations by omitting scores of online charter schools. And, he spoke of "scandalous E(lectronic) schools" in making an indirect reference to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow fight with the state over verifying students are receiving the needed hours of instruction.
In the Senate, he promised to pursue initiatives to alter federal standards that led to the flurry of student proficiency testing and promote funding for traditional public schools over charter schools.
The Democrat portrayed Portman as far from a friend of public education, saying the Republican has supported "sending millions of our tax dollars to companies that profit off our children's education."
During his Columbus stop Aug, 16, Strickland vowed to work to reduce high-stakes testing in schools, blaming the current testing environment on the federal government and the No Child Left Behind Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush nearly 15 years ago.
Strickland said he voiced his concern about that law before it was passed. He's hopeful that the Every Child Succeeds Act, which was finalized late last year to replace No Child Left Behind, will move schools away from an overemphasis on testing.
Strickland also said he would oppose efforts to fund charter school operators "at the expense of our public schools, our students and our teachers."
He added later, "I want every kid in Ohio, regardless of whether they're rich or poor or somewhere in between, to have the opportunity to get a good, high-quality public education that will prepare them for a successful life."
Strickland is endorsed by Ohio Education Association and the Ohio Federation of Teachers. This is why we need him in the U.S. Senate. Click here to donate and get involved with Strickland’s campaign.