Monday, January 18, 2010

Better than Schieffer w/Arne Duncan: Berkowitz w/Vallas on Race to the Top, Education reform, Stimulus spending and much more, Cable and Streaming

Revised on Tuesday morning at 12:37 am to add links to an additional partial transcript and a summary of topics discussed on the show with Vallas.
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Jeff Berkowitz:Why did President Obama and Sec. Duncan shut down a successful School Voucher program?

Paul Vallas: Well, I support vouchers, so I would not have closed down that program. I probably would have expanded it. [Watch show with Vallas]

Jeff Berkowitz: Was President Obama accommodating too much to the [teachers’] unions?
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Jeff Berkowitz: If you run again for office, you would be running as a Republican as opposed to a Democrat.

Paul Vallas: I would. Yes, Yes. If I run for public office, then I would be running as a Republican.
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Tonight’s City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs features Paul Vallas, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools from 1995-2001 and currently Supt. of the Recovery School District in New Orleans, LA. The program airs at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 throughout the City of Chicago.

Paul Vallas came in a close second to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 Democratic Primary for Governor in Illinois [Roland Burris was a close third].

Interestingly, Republican Paul Vallas recently endorsed Democrat David Hoffman in a contested primary race for a U. S. Senate seat in Illinois, and Vallas made it clear that his endorsement was not just for the Democrat primary. Further, when this journalist questioned Vallas after the endorsement presser, Vallas said the Republican's likely nominee for the U. S. Senate seat, Cong. Mark Kirk, was an excellent candidate, but that Hoffman was "more excellent."
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You can now watch “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” featuring Paul Vallas, Superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans, streaming here.
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For an additional partial transcript of the Vallas show, please go here. For a summary of topics discussed on the show with Paul Vallas and another partial transcript of the show, please go here.
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Paul Vallas, now a Republican

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you now officially a Republican?

Paul Vallas: I will probably register as a Republican in the next Primary

Jeff Berkowitz: But, you don’t register in Illinois [as a party member].

Paul Vallas: Well, you have to enter the primary-

Jeff Berkowitz: You have to take a [party] primary ballot [to vote in that primary]. You are saying you would take a Republican primary ballot.

Paul Vallas: I would take a Republican primary ballot.

Jeff Berkowitz: You think of yourself as a Republican.

Paul Vallas: I am more of a Republican than a Democrat now, but I-

Jeff Berkowitz: If you run again for office, you would be running as a Republican as opposed to a Democrat.

Paul Vallas: I would. Yes, Yes. If I run for public office, then I would be running as a Republican.
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School Vouchers: Successful in Milwaukee, Cleveland and DC?

Jeff Berkowitz: When you look around at the big picture, they’ve tried school vouchers in Milwaukee, they’ve tried them in Cleveland, they’ve tried them in DC, would you say they’ve been successful in those three cities?

Paul Vallas:…I think in Milwaukee they were successful. I think the voucher program that they unfortunately closed down in Washington was successful.

Jeff Berkowitz: In Washington, DC. [Secretary of Education] Arne Duncan closed that school voucher program. He said the students who were in the program could continue but no new students [could participate] even though the evidence was clear it was improving quality, the kids were better, as Barack Obama put it, the kids were better off. And, yet, Barack Obama let Arne Duncan close that down by not standing up to the [U. S.] legislature. They just closed it down. What do you think?

Jeff Berkowitz: Why did President Obama and Sec. Duncan shut down a successful School Voucher program?

Paul Vallas: Well, I support vouchers, so I would not have closed down that program. I probably would have expanded it.

Jeff Berkowitz: Was President Obama accommodating too much to the [teachers’] unions?

Paul Vallas: You can draw your own conclusions on that. I would have kept the program open and probably expanded it.

Jeff Berkowitz: Because it was good for students.

Paul Vallas: Because it was good for students. Again, I think there are different ways of expanding choice. I think the money should follow the kids, whether it’s a voucher or whether its- [show ends].
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This episode of Public Affairs was recorded, live to tape, on December 27, 2009.
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More than 120 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Now streaming are our most recent shows w/Pat Hughes (Hinsdale), U. S. Senate Candidate in the Republican Primary; Republican Primary Gov Candidate Dan Proft; Paul Vallas, Supt. of the Recovery School District of New Orleans; 10th Cong. District Republican Primary Candidate Arie Friedman, M.D. (R-Highland Park); Republican Guv candidate State Sen. Kirk Dillard(R-Naperville); Cong. Danny Davis; Patrick Collins, former Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission;
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com.
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