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Carlos Mariani: Union push back won't stop reform

Strengthening schools is crucial, even if it means the loss of friends' support.

By CARLOS MARIANI

An interesting thing happened to me this year as I sought reelection to the Legislature after a bruising year pushing for reform of our K-12 education system.

Despite having earned a 94 percent pro-labor record over 20 years as a legislator, AFL-CIO officials recently informed me that they had rescinded their endorsement of my candidacy.

They didn't say why. But I think I get the message, which is an important one not only for me, but for all Minnesota voters.

I deeply value the importance of organized labor. My immigrant father was able to earn a living wage at a Nabisco bakery because he was part of a strong collective bargaining unit. To be rejected by a movement I believe in is painful. However, I am also aware that this situation raises questions about the ability of our elected representatives to make vital changes to public education.

As chair of the Minnesota House K-12 Policy Committee, I admire the many accomplishments of Minnesota's students, teachers and public schools. However, we all know that Minnesota is falling behind in educating students of color and poor students, and many others as well. That doesn't make our schools or teachers bad. On the contrary, I believe they are courageously trying to do the right thing within the limitations of our laws. It's a legislator's job to address those limitations, regardless of whether big labor -- or big business for that matter -- agrees. Reforming our laws in order to further opportunities for all citizens is what we are elected to do.

To do this we must be thoughtful and bold.

So, along with other legislators who consider themselves solid labor Democrats, I have worked with GOP members on practical solutions to change our education system. This included bills establishing annual evaluations of teachers and principals, aggressive new ways to support the development of teacher skills and smarter ways to fully assess students.

I also led efforts to create a new alternative pathway to earning a teaching license that would allow high-quality programs like Teach for America to help Minnesota close the achievement gap. I had hoped for union support; instead they fought it. Some union officials vigorously criticized us.

But I did not expect to lose major labor endorsement for trying to serve children better. I now don't know whether losing labor's support will affect my chances of chairing the committee again.

Sometimes change is threatening to those influential few who have considerable investment in the status quo, those who lack imagination, and, in this case, those who don't live closely with kids whose lives are stunted by not having an education system that works for them.

Minnesota's own Walter Mondale seems to understand the need for a climate of change in education policy. In his memoir, "The Good Fight: A Life in Liberal Politics," he observes that "we should weed out teachers who are unsuited to the profession" and that union rules "must have flexibility."

Unfortunately, in the political world, change often comes with people turning on one another. Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, who reviewed the book, commented: "There's a great struggle under way today within the Democratic Party between Obama and the reformers on one side and, on the other, hidebound adult interest groups (especially the National Education Association) that have until recently dominated the party."

In Alter's view, the progressive liberal agenda is one where we would be "establishing the high standards and accountability necessary to rescue a generation of poor minority youths and train the American workforce of the future." Many legislators believe he is right. I can't think of a nobler calling than for us to properly educate all of our children.

And so, despite the push back, even from friends, thoughtful legislators from both parties should support changes that will help young people. Unions exist in part because legislators passed strong laws protecting their rights and resisted powerful interests opposing them. Let's do the same for our children.

Make sure you ask legislative candidates about this before you cast your ballot.

Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, is a member of the Minnesota House.