Posted on 10/15/2004 5:02:37 PM PDT by hsmomx3
Republicans including Maricopa County Schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling are concerned about school districts sending political fliers home with students and using buses to transport teachers to political events.
Dowling has asked Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley to issue an official opinion to what school districts can and cannot do.
Dowling's concern stems from a flier sent home to Madison School District students in central Phoenix on Monday that promoted a pro-education rally in Tempe on Wednesday.
The controversy arose from the fact that the education rally was held the day of the presidential debate, just across Tempe Town Lake from a massive post-debate rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry and the fact the education event's sponsor the Arizona Education Association backs Kerry.
The teacher's union is a top Democratic Party supporter and has clashed with fiscal and social conservatives over spending issues as well as private school vouchers.
State law prohibits school district from using resources to influence elections. Dowling wants Romley to tell her whether such fliers are illegal and whether school districts should rent or allow teachers unions to use buses with the district names on them to transport people to events.
"We need to have some direction," said Dowling of her request to Romley's office.
A Madison School district spokeswoman said the event is a nonpartisan effort aimed at promoting education in the state and was not meant to appear to be supporting Kerry. The spokeswoman said the Madison district received a handful of complaints from parents who received the fliers.
AEA president John Wright also said the event was planned well before Kerry held his huge rally in another section of Tempe Town Lake and there was plenty of space between the two events.
About 25,000 supporters attended the Kerry rally while about 1,300 went to the education event. AEA has 32,000-members statewide.
Dowling said she is worried that school districts are promoting partisan events and said the Madison episode is a prime example of the need for legal clarification.
Teachers unions are with business groups on some issues such as more research funding for state universities. However, the AEA tends to back higher taxes to boost education spending and backs Kerry. Business groups are anti-tax and are behind President Bush in the presidential race.
ping! I'll bet Cindi is in on this.
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