By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

MINNEAPOLIS – Buried beneath all the coverage of tomorrow’s presidential election is a very interesting school board race in the Minneapolis district that could highlight the growing split between teacher unions and rank-and-file Democrats.

Teach For America alum Josh Reimnitz is running against union-endorsed Patty Wycoff to fill the seat for the board’s newly created District 4, which is the only seriously contested school board race in the one-party city, reports MinnPost.com.

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While both candidates are politically left-of-center, Reimnitz notes that his brief teaching experience made him skeptical of union orthodoxy that says layoffs should only be based on a teacher’s seniority instead of classroom effectiveness. He also favors basing teacher evaluations at least partly on student learning, reports the StarTribune.com.

While those are pretty common sense views that voters of all political persuasions can agree with, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers – the local teachers union – has no use for them or Reimnitz.

The union is attempting to paint him as “a carpetbagger” who is part of a clandestine effort “to give (Teach for America) power over” Minneapolis schools and to ultimately privatize the district, writes the MinnPost.com.

Teach for America is a national organization that recruits top university graduates to teach in some of the nation’s worst schools for at least two years. Teachers unions despise the organization because many districts have used motivated young TFA instructors to replace subpar union teachers.

Union officials seized upon a questionnaire Reimnitz answered earlier this year that made it appear he favors vouchers for private schools. Reimnitz has clarified his position by explaining that he only supports charter schools, not vouchers, but the union doesn’t appear to be listening.

In Wycoff, however, teacher union leaders have a very reliable friend who agrees with them on seemingly every issue, including their opposition to TFA and teacher accountability.

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Minneapolis’ education establishment has lined up behind Wycoff, but Reimnitz’s campaign “has raised an astounding $37,196 to date,” the Star Tribune reports.

The race has taken a nasty tone in recent weeks, with all kinds of innuendo and smear attempts swirling across social media sites. The MinnPost describes the “tense” race as one in which “each of the candidates has been portrayed by the other’s supporters as a horseman of the educational apocalypse.”

If Reimnitz wins it could be seen as a signal that even left-leaning Minneapolis voters support modest education reforms that hold teachers accountable for their classroom performance. Such an outcome would suggest the teacher unions’ power is seriously waning.

A Reimnitz win might also signal that taxpayers are unhappy with the school board’s cozy relationship with the MFT, which was on display during the most recent round of contract negotiations.

If Wycoff wins, if would affirm that the teacher unions are still powerful players within the Democratic Party, and have the ability to kill off even the most reasonable of education reforms.

School board elections seldom make national news, but this one might, at least among those interested in education. If a TFA alum can edge out a teacher union-supported candidate in a labor-friendly city, some will believe that the sun may be rising on a brighter day for American schools.