Education Law

Dem's potential VPs back education

The Washington Post reported today that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are the two state leaders being seriously considered for veep by the Obama campaign (as an aside, BoardBuzz suspects that speculation around VP candidates will continue to swirl and swirl for weeks still). That could be music to the ears of education advocates, because both governors are known for their support in education with signature proposals in preschool and K-12 funding.

As a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, Kaine or Sebelius could help bring education issues to the forefront of presidential debates. Although both Obama and presumptive Republican candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona have begun to talk a bit more about education than previously, neither has delivered a major speech on the issue. Education advocates and policy watchers are still waiting (and hoping!) for that to happen.

Here?s a look at Kaine?s and Sebelius? records in education:

In Virginia, Kaine has been a supporter to expand the state?s preschool initiative and created the Start Strong Council, a group dedicated to promoting high quality pre-k. He established a new preschool pilot program in 2007 and proposed a 20 percent funding increase for the Virginia Preschool Initiative.
Kansas Gov. Sebelius has steered a large K-12 funding package through the legislature and helped create a new pre-k pilot program in 2007. Kansas now has a new funding stream dedicated to early learning that was created by shifting certain programs from the state general fund.

So, what do you think? Will this latest development keep tongues wagging? Leave us a comment and tell us about it. And check out more about education and presidential politics, starting here.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on July 29, 2008 (boomark / email).