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Special
Education Vote Impacts Statewide School Board Elections
A Bridges4Kids Analysis by Deborah Canja
by Deborah K. Canja,
Bridges4Kids, November 7, 2002
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
The power of the special education community to influence
election outcomes came through loud and clear last Tuesday
with the election of Elizabeth "Liz" Bauer to the Michigan
State Board of Education and Richard Bernstein to the Wayne
State University Board of Governors. All other education seats
were won by Republicans or incumbents. Bernstein and Bauer
alone bucked the trend.
Bauer, the top vote-getter in the race in the State Board of
Education race, spent 20 years as the Executive Director of
Michigan Protection and Advocacy, a federally mandated legal
advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Bernstein,
blind since birth, is an attorney and a proud product of
Michigan's special education system.
Through listservs, websites, advocacy group meetings, and
parent support groups, the Bauer and Bernstein candidacies
were broadcast and supported. An interview with Bauer by
disability advocates Tricia and Calvin Luker was widely
circulated. Parents of children with disabilities held "friendraisers,"
using their networks and connections to introduce Bauer to a
wider circle. Education professionals provided financial
support. In Macomb county, where efforts by parents of
children in special education were especially strong and where
even Governor-elect Jennifer Granholm lost, Liz Bauer won big.
She garnered 103,845 votes: 14,196 more than fellow Democratic
candidate Nancy Quarles, over 1,000 more than Republican
candidate Carolyn Curtin, and nearly 300 more than incumbent
Michael Warren. "The bottom line is that it does take money to
run a campaign," said Bauer, "but my advantage came from the
person-to-person network that I found in the special education
community. Everyone has that networking power and it costs
nothing to use it on behalf of candidates you believe in."
Similarly, Richard Bernstein was promoted tirelessly by
special education advocates. Bauer wrote a letter on his
behalf to her network and his candidacy was supported by
parents of children with disabilities across the state through
listservs. As a result, Bernstein, who came in second behind
incumbent Republican Diane Dunaskiss, garnered over 17,000
more votes than Leon Atchinson, the incumbent President of the
Board.
"These results don't surprise me," said Michigan State
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Watkins. "I saw
first-hand the power of the special education community last
spring when my predecessor tried to push through new
administrative rules for special education. Many parents and
educators did not feel those rules were in the best interest
of children with special needs and they literally brought the
process to a halt while the rules were reexamined. I spent
months listening to their concerns and, as a result, the
approved rules package is much different than the one first
proposed. The special education community is a very committed
one and we welcome their involvement as we move Michigan
forward for all children."
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