Senate Candidate Tiffany Smiley Meets with Tahoma Parents
Tahoma Parents recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Senate Candidate Tiffany Smiley to discuss education reform. Smiley has been actively reaching out to parents all around the state to discuss issues that matter to them most. We were thrilled when she reached out to us and offered the opportunity to share the concerns of local parents in the Tahoma School District.
Meeting at Maple Valley’s Ristrettos Café around plates of delicious hors d'oeuvres, Smiley opened up the meeting by telling us about herself and her journey into politics. She detailed the tragic story of how her husband lost his sight (and almost his life) during the Iraq war, inspiring her to enter the political arena to save her husband’s career. While the US Army sought to discharge and wash their hands clean of Smiley’s husband, Tiffany battled through the bureaucracy and political red tape to help prove that he was still fit to continue serving his country. Eventually their perseverance paid off, making Tiffany Smiley’s husband (the legendary Scotty Smiley) the first blind US Army officer to have actively served.
The event seemed to awaken something in Smiley. She learned that anyone can make a difference with perseverance and sheer will. Her story was incredibly inspiring considering many of Tahoma’s parents feel silenced, unheard, and ignored. If she and her husband can take on the entire US Army alone, how much more can concerned parents who take a stand together accomplish at a local level?
Smiley continued by discussing her plan to address the declining educational quality from a federal level (summary below).
My Agenda for Recovery and Reform has one simple aim: to turn crises into hope for all Washingtonians. Despite the best efforts of so many of our teachers during the pandemic, distance and remote learning has shown all of us the holes in our education system. Many of our schools are focused on teaching divisive topics instead of the basics. And the careers of the future don’t match an education system that is stuck in the past. Education recovery means getting back to the basics: reading, writing, and math. Education reform means making sure parents have a say and a choice in their children’s education. Our system must work to meet unique needs, talents, and challenges of all individuals so they can have a bright future.
WE CAN RECOVER & REFORM EDUCATION BY:
Expanding school choice to ensure low income families who are not part of the rich and elite have equal access to a quality education. Federal education dollars should follow the student so that parents have the freedom to choose the educational environment that best fits their child.
Promoting curriculum transparency to empower parents and banning the teaching of divisive ideology like Critical Race Theory from our elementary schools. The number one priority for schools is to lay a strong foundation in reading, writing, and math so that students are equipped to succeed throughout their academic careers.
Creating and expanding K-12 STEM education programs to ensure skills development for the future.
Banning the federal government from forgiving student loans in a way that is unfair to those who have already paid off their debts. Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program could cost American taxpayers as much as $1 trillion as plumbers and hair stylists pay for the loans of lawyers and doctors.
Ending the stigma and discrimination against students of all ages who choose not to go to college by expanding trade apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and skill certification.
Providing teachers (whose average salary in Washington State is $79,500) a pay raise and paying for it in part by reducing bureaucracy in the U.S. Department of Education (where the average salary is $126,000). The importance of quality teachers cannot be overstated and should be reflected in their salary.
After discussing her plan, she allowed us to share our stories and district-related concerns with her. While many of the issues Tahoma Parents expressed need to be fought by community members and addressed at a local level, Smiley was eager to weigh in and begin strategizing ideas on how she could help on a federal level. It honestly felt like we were talking to another parent who cared, not a politician (which was incredibly refreshing).
We would like to thank Tiffany Smiley for reaching out and meeting with us. Considering Tahoma Parents does not endorse federal level candidates, it is clear that Smiley’s goal was to understand the concerns of her potential constituents in order to ensure the best outcome for our children.
Tahoma Parents has since invited Senator Patty Murray to meet and discuss her educational plans. We will be sure to keep you posted if she takes us up on that offer.
