COLUMBIA - The first Democrat to
formally enter the race for superintendent of education bucks the
party line on school choice.
Cecil Taliaferro, an education policy consultant and former Allen
University administrator, announced his plans Thursday to seek the
post being vacated by Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum.
Calling himself "a different kind of Democrat," he said he was
running to address an education crisis in the state.
"I want to turn the corridor of shame into the corridor of hope,
where all our children, whether they are black, brown or white, will
receive, not a minimally adequate education, but an exceptionally
high quality education," he said during a news conference at a
Columbia hotel.
He joins a field that includes two Republican candidates and is
likely to gain at least one other Democrat.
Karen Floyd, a Spartanburg public relations executive, has the
endorsement of Republicans Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Sen. Jim
DeMint.
Elizabeth Moffly, a Mount Pleasant real estate agent, also is
running as a Republican.
Drifting from the Democratic party line, Taliaferro has made
expanding school choice a centerpiece of his platform.
"Our children should not be compelled to attend a school or
schools that do not teach or do not create the necessary changes for
substantive learning," he said.
One major advocate of Put Parents in Charge, the
Sanford-supported legislation that died in the House in May, sees
opportunity in Taliaferro's candidacy.
"That is a historic opportunity to get somebody elected to that
office who is open to real reform and giving parents options as to
how and where their children are educated," said Denver Merrill,
spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible Government. Merrill,
however, did not endorse Taliaferro.
Taliaferro said Thursday that he did not have a position on Put
Parents in Charge and has said he supports choice within public
schools, but he wrote a guest column in the Charleston Post &
Courier after the legislation was defeated in May that read in part:
"The House vote on May 4 was a sad day for black parents across
South Carolina who were hoping for the chance and opportunity to
provide a better future for their children through a better
education."
Asked about the column Thursday, Taliaferro said he was not
referring to the specific legislation but to school choice in
general.
Top Democrats in the state, led by Tenenbaum, have been united
against any form of tuition tax credit or voucher legislation.
Democratic Party Executive Director Lachlan McIntosh reiterated
that position Thursday. McIntosh also said he expected there to be a
"competitive primary" for the Democratic nomination, but didn't name
potential candidates other than Frank Holleman, who previously has
said he is considering a run.
Floyd said Thursday that she is "conceptually in favor of school
choice." But she wouldn't state a position on Put Parents in Charge.
She said she is open to new ideas and would support initiatives that
gives all students "access to excellent education."
Moffly said that while choice is a good thing, "I would prefer
that the basic issues be addressed and that money stayed within the
public school system."
She criticized Sanford for making an early endorsement in the
race. "I am disappointed I'm running on the Republican ticket and
the governor never did take the time to discuss my ideas for
education."
