Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidiates Mashall Tuck vs Tom Torlakson

By Mei Mei Huff

Reforming education is considered by most one of the top priorities in the State.  Who we elect as the next Superintendent of Public Instruction directly impact the direction of our education system and the quality of education that our children receive.

Torlakson was a high school Physical Education teacher, ran for Antioch CA city council in the ‘70’s, was later elected to the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors, then State Senate, State Assembly, and in 2010 was elected to be California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. Known to personally be a very nice man, he represents the status quo for education, where we have some of the highest paid public school teachers with some of the lowest classroom results. In 2010, the real battle for Superintendent of Public Instruction was in the primary between two Democrats: Torlakson and Senator Gloria Romero. Torlakson ran and won as the powerful California Teacher Association’s endorsed candidate for the position against Senator Gloria Romero, viewed as the education reformer. Senator Romero had previously carried education reform measures, including many that she co-authored with my husband Bob, that included school choice, teacher tenure, and the nationally acclaimed parent-trigger laws.

In our 2014 lineup, we have Torlakson again representing the nice guy, school union endorsed, status quo option, versus Marshall Tuck. Here is a link to Tuck’s bio:

http://www.marshalltuck.com/about-marshall

Tuck is the education reform candidate, with a lot of experience turning poor performing schools around. Educated at UCLA and Harvard Business School, Tuck has actual experience reforming school culture in underperforming schools in LA Unified School District, with amazing results. Under Tuck’s leadership, the Partnership schools he headed up working with the LA Mayor,  increased four-year graduation rates by over 60%, improved school safety and student attendance, and launched the innovative Parent College, which became a national model for getting parents more involved in their kids’ education. Over the last 5 years, the Partnership schools ranked #1 in academic improvement among school systems with more than 10,000 students. Tuck has received the endorsements from the LA Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Marshall Tuck is the candidate best educated, best experienced and best positioned to make a positive difference in our public schools.

Here is a link by the LA Times editorial board on Torlakson versus Tuck:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-tuck-torlakson-campaign-20140523-story.html