WEA Withdraws Balow Endorsement

The Wyoming Education Association, which represents teachers in the state, has made a fairly unprecedented move in this election year.

It has withdrawn an endorsement in the race for Head of the Education Department.

WEA President Kathy Vetter told K2 Radio News that after interviews with both Republican Jillian Balow and Democrat MIke Ceballos, the group felt comfortable that whichever way the election went, the Education Department would be in good hands.

But a controversial fund raising letter from the Balow campaign ended that bipartisan feeling.

Vetter said it was very negative, particularly regarding teacher unions and other organizations, and in the view of the association’s political action committee, simply went over the line.

So the decision was made to withdraw the joint endorsement and only endorse Ceballos.

Vetter told K2 that partisan politics and political ax-grinding has become too much a part of the education discussion here and across the country, and doesn’t serve the cause of better standards and better schools.