It wouldn’t be campaign season in Alabama without a heavy dose of disingenuous attack ads from the fine folks at the Alabama Education Association (AEA).
AEA-funded mail pieces (which can be seen below) hit the streets in House District 74 this week attacking Republican candidate Charlotte Meadows for working for “a special interest group that works to fire public school teachers and privatize our public schools.”
The special interest group in question is StudentsFirst, a group that has drawn the ire of the AEA because of its support for school choice, teacher tenure reform, and the repeal of “last in first out,” a policy that protects teachers’ jobs based on seniority rather than performance in the classroom.
The mail piece also says that “It would be a great career move for Charlotte Meadows if she’s elected to the legislature. Then she could vote for legislation that benefits the special interest group she works for. Meadows gives a new meaning to being a ‘Doube-Dipper'”
In reality, Meadows has taken a leave of absence from StudentsFirst through the end of the campaign and has publicly stated that she will permanently leave the job if elected.
In addition to her job at StudentsFirst, Meadows is under fire from the AEA because of her support of the Alabama Accountability Act. She is running against fellow Republicans Heather Sellers and Dimitri Polizos, both of whom have said they would not have voted for the bill — either for policy reasons or because of concerns with the process by which it was passed.
“I’m the only candidate being attacked by the AEA because I’m the only candidate for the District 74 seat that believes in giving Montgomery parents a choice in where they send their kids to school,” Meadows said in response to AEA’s mailer. “I’m proud of the work I have done as an education advocate. Alabama’s education system needs reform and I’m not going to back down because AEA attacks me. I’m the only candidate that is pushing for education reform and not defending the status quo on education. I support the Accountability Act because I believe it is good for our students and families.”
The AEA has not donated directly to any of the candidates in the HD74 race to this point. The Special Primary Election is set for Oct. 8. Candidates are running to succeed longtime HD74 representative Jay Love, who resigned from the legislature earlier this year.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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