Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Educator Amy Perruso runs for seat in Hawaii State House of Reps

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Amy Perruso

Educator Amy Perruso runs for a seat in the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

Because of today’s highly-charged political climate, educators are becoming more and more interested in serving their communities in public office. One such educator is Amy Perruso, a high school social studies teacher running for a seat in the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

Amy’s drive to serve her students and her community is palpable. “I ran for office because the children in our public schools need strong advocates,” declares Amy. “Teachers have always stepped up to do this work, and entering the political arena in this way, as teachers who are union leaders, is a natural reflection of how teachers lead in our community and the ways in which our union advocates for the common good,” she continues.

Amy advanced to the November elections when she won the Democratic primary last summer, beating Lei Learmont. In the general election she will face off against Republican John Miller.

In a career that has spanned 18 years total, Amy has spent the last 14 of them as a teacher at Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii. Among the several courses she teaches is Advanced Placement Government and APUSH. Amy has also served as a reader for the College Board on the APGOV exam, and she has been as a member of the Hawaii State Social Studies Work Group. She is also a member of the Every Student Succeeds Act Team, which is responsible for creating a blueprint for the future of Hawaii’s public schools. In addition to all this, Amy has served three terms as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Amy’s talent and dedication as an educator has not gone unnoticed. She was a Fulbright Scholar and a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year Award.

To learn more about this candidate, visit her website at www.amyperruso.com.

Teacher Larry Proffitt runs for Tennessee State House of Reps

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Larry Proffitt

Middle school teacher Larry Proffitt runs for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.

Today, more than ever, the American political environment offers opportunities for dedicated educators to step into elected public office as they attempt to achieve positive social change in their communities. One of these educators is Larry Proffitt, a junior high school history teacher who is running for a seat in the Tennessee State House of Representatives.

Larry’s career as an educator spans 13 years. He currently works as an eighth grade history teacher at Dickson Middle School. Larry says he believes in community schools throughout his home state. He declares he wants every child to have a great public education like the one he received, and he believes that a quality education is the foundation of our republic and its democratic ideals. But, he asserts, there is definitely work that needs to be done. “We need to get a hold on things and go back to developing relationships with our children,” declares Larry, “teaching our children to grow up and be socially responsible and teaching them in depth in the things we do.”

Larry is running on the Democratic ticket unopposed. His goal is to represent Tennessee’s District 66, which covers Robertson County. In order to learn as much about his state government as possible, Larry says he spends every snow day at the General Assembly speaking to legislators about improving schools in his state in every way possible.

To learn more about this chalkboard champion, visit his campaign website at Larry for Rep.

Educator Sherrie Conley runs for seat in Oklahoma House of Representatives

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Sherrie Conley

In November’s election, educator Sherrie Conley is running for a seat in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

In today’s politically charged environment, many talented educators have decided to step up to the plate and run for public office. One of these is Sherrie Conley, a educator from Oklahoma who is running for a seat in her state’s House of Representatives.

Sherrie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1994. She completed the requirements for her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2016. The chalkboard champion inaugurated her fifteen-year career as an elementary school teacher in the Oklahoma City Public School District. She currently works as an Assistant Principal.

Sherrie, who is hoping to represent District 20, is running on the Republican ticket. “Yes, I’m a Republican, but I have (had) an opportunity to see what happens to our people when core services are cut and when we don’t take care of our families,” explained Sherrie. During a recent budget crisis in her state, her home-town school district was forced to cut down to a four-day week.

In the primary election, Sherrie beat out three-term incumbent state lawmaker Bobby Cleveland in a primary runoff election. She will face Democrat Steve Jarman of Pauls Valley in the general election in November.

Tim Walz: Former teacher, now candidate for Minnesota Governor

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Tim Walz

Tim Walz: Former high school social studies teacher, veteran, current US Congressman, and candidate for Minnesota Governor.

Today an astounding number of talented educators are accomplishing great things in politics. One of these is Tim Walz, a former teacher and current US Congressman who is running for the office of governor of Minnesota. In last summer’s primary, Tim garnered the Democratic nomination for his state’s top office.

Tim points with pride to the fact that he was raised in a small town in rural Nebraska. “Small-town life and working on family farms each summer taught me fundamental lessons about the importance of family and the value of hard work,” Tim declares. “I had wonderful public school teachers, great neighbors, and loving parents,” he recalls.

As a teenager, Tim graduated from Nebraska’s Butte High School. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Army National Guard, and by 1989, he was honored as Nebraska’s Citizen-Soldier of the Year. As a young man, Tim traveled the country working at a number of odd jobs, including building grain silos, factory work, and mortgage loan processing. During this time, he accepted a temporary teaching position at the Native American Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. His stint there convinced Tim to choose education as his life profession.

Tim enrolled in Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences in 1989. The next year, Harvard University offered him a teaching position with one of the first government-approved groups of American teachers to work in the People’s Republic of China. He worked there from 1989-1990.

When he returned from China, Tim settled in his home town in Nebraska, and resumed teaching and coaching. He also inaugurated a small business, the Educational Travel Adventures, Inc., which offered opportunities for American high school students to take trips to China. It didn’t take long for Tim’s community to recognize how exceptional the young teacher was. In 1993, he was named the Outstanding Young Nebraskan by the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce for his service in education, small-business, and the military.

Tim and his wife Gwen, a Minnesota native, moved to Mankato, Minnesota, in 1996, where Tim became a teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School. There he helped coach the football team to win the school’s first state championship.

For his work in the classroom, Tim has earned many accolades. He was named a Minnesota Ethics in Education Award winner in 2002, and in 2003 he garnered honors as both the Mankato Teacher of the Year and a Minnesota Teacher of Excellence. After this, Tim completed his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership (2001) and enrolled in a doctoral program at St. Mary’s University in Winona.

In 2004, the social studies educator decided to become personally involved in politics. He ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives in 2006 and won, defeating six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht. Tim was re-elected to five more terms. As a Congressman, Tim is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and currently serves as the ranking member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Tim also serves as co-chair of the National Guard & Reserve Components Caucus, the House Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. In addition, he co-founded the Congressional Propane Caucus.

In last summer’s primary, this impressive former teacher won the Democratic nomination for governor of the state of Minnesota. His name will appear on the ballot in this November’s mid-term elections. To learn more, you can visit his website at www.walzflanagan.org.

Educator Jack Reavis makes bid for seat in Oklahoma State House of Representatives

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Jack Reavis

Veteran educator Jack Reavis makes a bid for a seat in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

In this year’s mid-term elections, there are many educators running hotly contested political races. One of them is teacher Jack Reavis, who is bidding for a seat in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. Last June, the veteran educator won the Democratic primary for District 14. In the November election, Jack will face Republican candidate Chris Sneed.

Jack has dedicated the last 24 years of his life working as a high school history teacher for Muskogee High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He plans to use his skills as an educator to succeed in the House, if elected. “In my life, learning the art of listening has been essential to building relationships built on mutual trust,” declares Jack. Furthermore, he asserts, “We can make our government work, but we have to participate in the process.”

Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies Education and a Master of Arts degree in American Studies. He earned both from Northeastern State University located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Jack is particularly interested in policies that affect public education and health care. He wants to see a return of the seven hospitals and numerous health care facilities that have left his part of the state in the last two years. “If you’re a single mother in northeastern Oklahoma, you shouldn’t have to take a full day off work and lose that day’s pay, just to take a sick child with an ear-ache to a clinic,” Jack says. “If we truly are pro-life—and I am pro-life, not just pro-birth—you need to support the programs that support life after a child is born, including public education and healthcare.”

To learn more about Jack Reavis, visit his website at www.reavisforhouse.com.