Speaking at the Northwest Sanity Forum, education reform advocate Corey DeAngelis said parents are emerging as the strongest new force in education politics, taking on teachers unions and pushing for school choice policies across the country.
“Parents are upset. They’ve become a new interest group of sorts—fighting for their own kids and beating the teachers unions at their own game,” DeAngelis told Ari Hoffman on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI.
Listen to the audio here:
COVID-Era School Closures Sparked a Movement
DeAngelis argued that the tide began to turn during the COVID shutdowns, when union leaders, particularly American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, fought to keep schools closed. “They showed families what was happening in the classroom,” DeAngelis said, adding that this exposure led parents to demand more accountability.
According to DeAngelis, the close ties between teachers unions and Democrats are a major obstacle to reform. He noted that nearly all union campaign contributions go to Democrats and described the National Education Association’s century-old federal charter as “a money laundering operation for the Democrat Party.”
A Federal School Choice Victory
Despite resistance, DeAngelis highlighted recent progress. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” included a school choice provision that creates federal tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations. Families can use those scholarships for private school tuition—but only if their state governor opts in.
“It’s not government money—it’s a dollar-for-dollar tax credit,” DeAngelis explained. “But if a blue-state governor refuses to participate, they’re essentially allowing their constituents’ tax dollars to subsidize private schools in red states.”
He pointed to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and North Carolina’s Josh Stein as Democrats who have signaled openness to the program, but remained skeptical about Washington’s Gov. Bob Ferguson. “He brags about sending his kids to private school, but the second you call him on it, suddenly it’s all about public schools,” DeAngelis said.
Why Competition Helps All Schools
DeAngelis argued that school choice strengthens both private and public schools. “In places like Florida, you don’t see public schools suffer—you actually see them get better, because they have to compete,” he said.
A Winning Political Issue
The advocate urged Washington conservatives to seize on parental rights as a campaign issue. He cited Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 victory in Virginia, where education became the defining topic after opponent Terry McAuliffe declared, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
“These are 80-20 issues in favor of parents,” DeAngelis said. “If Republicans want to win, they need to talk about parental rights and education on repeat until election day.”
Ballot Box Solutions
When legislatures block reform, DeAngelis suggested taking the issue directly to voters. “You can circumvent your union-controlled legislature in Washington by putting it on the ballot,” he said, pointing to the success of Let’s Go Washington initiatives backed by Future 42, which hosted the forum.
“This could be the next big ballot measure,” Hoffman observed during the exchange.
As the interview wrapped, Hoffman praised DeAngelis for spotlighting Washington’s challenges. “You’re doing great work. Keep highlighting our state—we need it,” Hoffman said.
“Thank you so much, Ari,” DeAngelis replied. “The fight is just getting started.”
