Noland's Troubling Record on Public Schools

In campaigning for Congress, state senator Mike Noland has been claiming he’s the only true “progressive” in the race. But as someone who has lived in the area for twenty years and sent grandchildren to public schools here, I know that Noland’s record on education is anything but progressive. In fact, he’s waged a long campaign to undermine public schools and teachers.

In Springfield, Noland has voted repeatedly for bills (SB1956, SB2402, SB 2494) to increase the number of charter schools, which take students and tax dollars from our neighborhood schools. Even worse, Noland is one of the few Democrats who have voted for vouchers to send tax dollars to private and parochial schools.

Noland has been handsomely rewarded for his votes by a PAC for charter school interests, which contributed $14,000 to his campaigns over the last several years according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Noland’s career-long antipathy toward public schools and their teachers was foreshadowed in a letter he penned back in the 1990s in which he attacked Elgin school teachers and encouraged the state legislature to promote private charters and vouchers. And since his election to the state senate, he’s followed through on that threat.

That may make senator Noland consistent, but it certainly doesn’t make him progressive. In fact, his views on education seem much closer to those being voiced in the Republican presidential debates.