It鈥檚 a trend noted by the news media, teachers鈥� unions, and educators themselves: Fed up with the state of public education, teachers are running for office.
And now, a new Education Week analysis shows that teachers are not only running鈥攖hey鈥檙e winning.
Out of the 158 current classroom teachers that Education Week confirmed were running for their state legislature, 101 have moved on to the general election. Thirty-seven of those teachers won their primaries, while 59 ran unopposed. Five are running as write-in candidates, so they didn鈥檛 have to go through a primary.
鈥淚f even just a handful of us win a seat [in November], ... then teachers will have a voice at the Capitol鈥攁nd we haven鈥檛 had one in so very long,鈥� said Jennifer Samuels, an 8th grade teacher who is running for Arizona鈥檚 House as a Democrat.
While these teachers are scattered across the country in 32 states, many are in Oklahoma鈥�15 teachers won their primaries there, and 12 additional teachers in the Sooner State were unopposed. That鈥檚 about a 42 percent success rate so far for the 64 teachers there who filed to run.
In Kentucky, there are five candidates running write-in campaigns, seven teachers were unopposed in the primary, and three teachers defeated their opponents鈥攎eaning 15 teachers out of 20 who started campaigns have advanced to the general election.
In Arizona, three teachers have moved on to the general election, and in West Virginia, six have advanced. In both of those states, only one teacher was knocked out during the primaries.
Most of these educators are first-time candidates, with little political experience. But they have one major advantage: They are riding the wave of teacher activism that began in a half-dozen states, including Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, in the spring.
In those states, teachers walked out of their classrooms to protest low wages, cuts to school funding, and, at least in Kentucky, changes to the state鈥檚 public pension system.
鈥淭hese days, when I come to [voters鈥橾 doors and say, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 a public school teacher running for the legislature. You know why I鈥檓 here, don鈥檛 you?'鈥攁t that point, they鈥檒l say, 鈥榊es, we know,鈥� 鈥� said John Waldron, a high school social studies teacher who is running for Oklahoma鈥檚 House as a Democrat. 鈥淧eople get that education hasn鈥檛 been funded, and it鈥檚 a crisis in Oklahoma.鈥�
After 10 years without pay raises, teachers in Oklahoma received an average $6,100 boost this spring, although they still walked out of their classrooms to call for more school funding.
鈥榊ear of the Teacher鈥�
While Education Week鈥榮 analysis only includes teachers competing for state legislative seats, educators are also running in the general election for other high-profile positions. In Connecticut, Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, won the Democratic primary for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat. Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a former teacher, narrowly won the primary for governor of Minnesota. And Wisconsin schools Superintendent Tony Evers took the Democratic nomination for governor in that state.
Many retired teachers and administrators are running for state office this year, too, as well as teachers who are seeking election to school boards and other local offices.
It鈥檚 the 鈥測ear of the teacher,鈥� Waldron said. 鈥淭eachers want to make the world a better place, and now we鈥檙e finding an appropriate venue for doing that in the field of politics.鈥�
Educators say voters are especially attuned to the problems in public education after the walkouts. That engagement, along with a boost in donations and volunteers, is a major factor behind their primary wins.
In Kentucky鈥檚 Republican primary, for instance, a high school math teacher beat out the incumbent, who is a House majority floor leader and an author of the controversial pension-reform plan that sparked the state鈥檚 widescale teacher protests. R. Travis Brenda has credited his victory to massive support from educators.
And in Oklahoma, Craig Hoxie, a high school science teacher, is hoping to unseat the House majority whip, GOP state Rep. Terry O鈥橠onnell. O鈥橠onnell voted for teacher pay raises, but Hoxie said he has failed to take significant action to improve public education.
鈥淗e鈥檚 part of the leadership that has failed for so many years now to bring about real change,鈥� he said.
For Jennie Scott, a 4th grade teacher who is running for Oklahoma鈥檚 House as a Democrat, her status as a teacher might have given her an advantage in the primary, too.
She said she was more informed than her opponent about specific solutions to issues like teacher shortages. And voters seemed receptive to listening to her, Scott said.
鈥淭eachers are a very trusted part of our community for the most part,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e entrust our children with teachers.鈥�
Second Time Around
While most of the teachers running for office this year are first-time candidates, a few are on their second lap. In 2016, about 40 teachers ran for the Oklahoma legislature, though many were knocked out during the primary. Only about five teachers were victorious overall.
Some of those educators now say they鈥檙e more experienced and better organized than they were two years ago, when they struggled to raise money and articulate their vision to enough voters.
鈥淚 think I鈥檓 in a much better, stronger position,鈥� said Waldron, who ran for the state Senate in 2016 and lost in the general election.
So far in his race鈥攖his time for the state House鈥攈e鈥檚 knocked on 10,000 doors in his district and is talking to people for the second or third time, he said.
鈥淚 bring a different energy to the door now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not there to confront people or argue with them. Instead of meeting them head-to-head, I鈥檓 standing there side to side and pointing out what鈥檚 wrong with our state.鈥�
There is also more collaboration among the teachers this time, he said鈥攋ust last month, there was a union-organized campaign rally for the dozen teachers running for office in the Tulsa area.
Waldron said it鈥檚 easier to get both campaign contributions and volunteers this year. That鈥檚 partly because of his previous campaign, he said, but it鈥檚 also because of the new political awareness of the problems facing schools in the state.
Indeed, the state鈥檚 teacher walkout has changed the tone of the campaign by placing education at the top of voters鈥� minds, said Jacobi Crowley, a crisis interventionist in the Lawton school district who is running for the Oklahoma House again, after losing in 2016.
鈥淭his April really provided that wave of enthusiasm and hope [for] something different,鈥� he said.
A Diverse Field
Many of the teachers running this year are also part of another historic movement: More women are seeking political office than ever before, experts say. Indeed, more than half the candidates in Education Week鈥榮 database are women (although that鈥檚 still a much smaller percentage than the percentage of all teachers who are female).
And while about 88 percent of the teachers who will be on the ballot in November are Democrats, candidates say their conversations on public education with voters often transcend party lines.
鈥淧ublic school funding is an issue that most people agree should not be a partisan issue,鈥� said Joe Bisaccia, a middle school teacher who鈥檚 running for the Arizona House.
Sarah Carnes, a high school art teacher who鈥檚 vying for the state House in Oklahoma as a Democrat, said that she makes a point to tell Republican voters: 鈥淚鈥檓 here to represent everybody, because that鈥檚 what I鈥檝e been doing as a teacher.鈥�
The experience of working in diverse schools has paid off in her campaign, she said.
鈥淯ltimately, teachers are really good mediators and mentors, and we help solve problems in the classroom, and we work with parents hand in hand,鈥� Carnes said. 鈥淲e want to help everybody, that鈥檚 why we have giving hearts. I think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 connecting and resonating with the constituents right now.鈥�
