Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Former teacher Carolyn Comitta now serves as Pennsylvania legislator

Posted on by

Former teacher Carolyn Comitta has served her community in both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate. Photo credit: Comitta Official Senate Website

Many fine educators also make accomplished politicians. One of these is Carolyn Comitta, a teacher who has served in both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Carolyn was born in Buffalo, New York, but relocated to Pennsylvania as a toddler. When she grew up, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1974. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1989. From 1974 to the 1985, Carolyn worked in the Octorara Area School District as a classroom teacher and as a curriculum specialist in special and gifted education.

After leaving the classroom, Carolyn worked in her husband’s business, Thomas Comitta Associates, Town Planners and Landscape Architects. And then she inaugurated her career in public office when she ran for and was elected to the West Chester Borough Council. She served in that role from 2006 to 2010. Then, in 2010, she became the first woman to be elected mayor of West Chester, where she served from 2010 to 2017.

Following her service as mayor, Carolyn was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She represented the 156th District from Jan. 3, 2017 to Nov. 30, 2022. She has served in the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the 19th District since Jan. 56, 2021. In the Senate, she serves as Minority Chair of the Agriculture & Environmental Resources. She is also a member of the committees for Education; Aging & Older Adult Services; Health & Human Services; and Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness.

Today, Carolyn is an active member of World Information Transfer, a nonprofit United Nations non-governmental organization focused on educating people and communities about the connection between the environment and public health. She is also actively involved in several community organizations, including the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of West Chester, and the League of Women Voters. In addition, she has served on various boards at her alma mater, West Chester University.

 

Teacher Ina Dillard Russell served as Georgia’s First Lady

Posted on by

Elementary teacher Ina Dillard Russell, known as “Mother Russell” by many people in Georgia, served as the state’s First Lady during the years her son was Governor. Photo credit: New Georgia Encyclopedia

Many excellent educators also become very capable politicians. One of these was Ina (Bandana) Dillard Russell, an elementary school teacher who served as Georgia’s First Lady during the years her son, Richard Russell, Jr., served as the state’s governor.

Ina was born in rural Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on Feb. 18, 1868, and raised during the Reconstruction Period. As a young girl, she attended local schools, and  as a young woman she enrolled at first the Palmer Institute in Oxford and then the Lucy Cobb Institute in Athens, Georgia. In 1889, Ina inaugurated her career as a third grade teacher at the Washington Street School in Athens, where she taught for several years.

In 1891, Ina married Richard Brevard Russell, a lawyer from Athens, and the couple settled on their family farm in Winder. Thirteen children were born to the pair, and Ina home-schooled them all. She also ran the farm and supervised their tenant farmers. Meanwhile, her husband pursued a career as a politician, serving a number of years as a member of the Washington Street School Board and eventually rising to the position of Chief Justice of the Georgia State Supreme Court. The family grew to be well-known and influential throughout the state.

As her children grew to adulthood, Ina wrote copious detailed letters to them. She would typically write these letters in the mornings before her household was awake or in the evenings while everyone was asleep. Spanning her life from the turn of the century to the early years of the Great Depression, these missives provide an insight of what life was like for many women in the South during a time of great political and social upheaval, and the varied roles women were expected to fill. It’s estimated that she wrote at least 3,000 letters to her children. Many of the letters were published in 1999 in a volume entitled Roots and Ever Green: The Selected Letters of Ina Dillard Russell, edited by Sally Russell.

All of Ina’s children were successful in their career pursuits, especially her oldest son, Richard Russell, Jr., who was elected the Governor of Georgia in 1930. His tenure in that office spanned the years from 1931 to 1933. During these years, Ina and her husband lived in the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta, where the popular lady, known as “Mother Russell” by many Georgians, served as the state’s First Lady.

Sadly, Ina suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away on Aug. 30, 1953. She was 85 years old. To honor her contributions to her community and to the state, flags all over Georgia were flown at half-mast. This was an unusual honor for a public figure who had never been elected to a political office. In 1932, the library at Georgia State College for Women, today known as Georgia College and State University, was renamed in her honor.

 

Teacher and former CA legislator Patrick O’Donnell garners CalRTA award

Posted on by

Educator and former California State Assemblemember Patrick O’Donnell was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Convention and Delegate Assembly in Los Angeles last week. Photo credit: Terry Lee Marzell

Classroom teacher and former California State Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Convention and Delegate Assembly of the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) which I attended in Los Angeles last week. At the convention, the former legislator garnered a prestigious Friends of CalRTA Award, given in recognition for his dedication to protecting the pensions of retired teachers, for improving the professional environment of classroom teachers, and for expanding educational opportunities for students. And he recounted his return to the classroom after serving eight years in the State Assembly. The address was realistic, but hopeful and humorous.

Patrick was born in Long Beach on Feb., 25, 1966. As a young man, he attended California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and his Master’s degree in Public Administration. He then spent nearly 20 years in the classroom as a high school History teacher in the Paramount Unified School District. While there, he helped create a program that established more instructional time for students, thereby improving graduation rates and qualifying more students for college admission.

Patrick inaugurated his career in politics in 2004 when he was elected to the Long Beach City Council. He served ten years in this position. In 2013, he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the California State Assembly. He represented District 70, which includes the Los Angeles Harbor District, San Pedro, Long Beach, and Catalina Island. He served in the State Assembly from 2014 to 2022.

In office, Patrick served as the Chair of the Education Committee.In that role, he consistently advocated for increased funding for K-12 schools; advocated for better access to the core curriculum for English-language learners; expanded investments for school facilities; and sought additional funding for career technical and vocational education programs. “I know that kids need multiple paths to success,” Patrick declared. “Not every kid is going to a four-year university. Statistics bear that out. We need to provide them opportunity as well,” he continued.

He also championed efforts to help close the student achievement gap by securing funding to establish the CSU Center to Close the Opportunity Gap located on the campus of CSULB. In addition to the Education Committee, Patrick was also a member of the Assembly Committees on Transportation; Public Employment and Retirement; and Budget, including the Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.

Once he retired from the legislature, Patrick returned to his position as a history teacher at Paramount High School. The school serves grades 10 through 12.

 

Teacher Julie Plawecki served in the Michigan House of Reps

Posted on by

Former science and math teacher Julie Plawecki also served her community in the Michigan State House of Representatives. Photo credit: Michigan State House of Representatives

Many excellent educators have also served their community in political office. Julie Plawecki, a science and math teacher from Michigan who also served in the Michigan State House of Representatives, is a fine example of this.

Julie was born on Aug. 27, 1961. As a youngster, she attended Warren Public Schools in Warren, Michigan. Once she graduated from high school, she enrolled at Michigan’s Oakland University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and General Science. She earned her teaching certificate from the University of Michigan, Dearborn.

After completing her education, Julie worked  as a medical technologist. She married and became the mother of three daughters. She was also the leader of a Brownie troop and a school volunteer.

When she went into the teaching profession, Julie taught science, math, and religion in Catholic schools at both the secondary and elementary school levels. For ten years, she taught at St. Robert Bellarmine in Redford, Michigan. She also coached the school’s Science Olympiad team. In all, her career as an educator spanned 13 years. During that time, she was a member of the National Science Teachers Association and the Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

In Nov., 2014, Julie was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent the 11th District, which includes Garden City, Inkster, parts of Dearborn heights, Livonia, and Westland. Even though her term of office was short, she was still able to champion issues related to education, seniors, veterans, energy, health policy, campaign reform, and the environment. She also was involved in Project Dignity Outreach, a charitable group that feeds the homeless in Detroit every weekend.

Sadly, Julie passed away on June 25, 2016, after suffering a heart attack while hiking in Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. She was only 54 years old.

 

Sp ed teacher Connie O’Brien also served in the Kansas House of Reps

Posted on by

Former special education teacher Connie O’Brien served four terms in the Kansas State House of Representatives. Photo: Kansas Legislature

Many fine classroom educators go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Connie O’Brien, a former special education social studies teacher in Kansas, who was elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives.

Connie was born on Oct. 12, 1946, in Kansas City, Missouri. While she was a young woman, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies and Secondary Education from St. Mary College of Leavenworth in 1966. Once her education was completed, she was employed as a special education teacher in Basehor-Linwood schools, and as a substitute teacher in the Leavenworth and McLouth Districts.

Connie inaugurated her career in politics when she was elected on the Republican ticket to represent her state’s 42nd District in 2008. The 42nd District covers the western half of Leavenworth County, including Tonganoxie, Easton, and a portion of Leavenworth, as well as part of Douglas County, including Eudora.

Once elected, Connie served in the Kansas State House for four terms, from 2009 to 2017. While in office, she focussed her work on issues related to education, immigration, energy, and tax reform. She served as the Chair of the Committee on Children and Seniors, and as a member of the Committees on Elections; Energy and Utilities; and Local Government. She also served as the Vice Chair on the Committee for Veterans, Military Affairs, and Homeland Security.

Today, Connie serves as the President of the Leavenworth County Republican Women and the Vice Chair of her local County Party organization. At age 76, she is now retired, and she lives on her family farm in rural Tonganoxie, Kansas, with her husband, Edward.