By FITSNews || Dutch Fork (S.C.) High School teacher Kelly Payne made quite a splash last month when she formally entered the S.C. Superintendent of Education race with a wide-ranging, substantive policy speech.
Indeed, rather than spouting the same meaningless, ho-hum drivel we’re used to hearing recited from glad-handing status quo politicians, Payne actually outlined specific (and long-overdue) funding and accountability reforms to our worst-in-the-nation public school system.
It’s not like we expected Payne to come out flat or anything (some did) … but she certainly outperformed expectations.
And judging by a recent candidate’s forum in Greenville, S.C., Payne’s top opponent in the GOP primary, Mick Zais, is also impressed with her wisdom.
Very impressed …
(click to enlarge)
By smart Kid Grant February 11, 2010 at 11:14 am
He has to find some way to seem intelligent… and compassionate. Its not his fault that he was over confident, and under-prepared… oh wait, yes it was.
By Darth February 11, 2010 at 11:22 am
Who hid the bottle of Carling?
By beentook2 February 11, 2010 at 12:01 pm
It appears to me that Zais is more amazed at Dragon Lady’s dumbness.
By Andrew February 11, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Payne’s a third or 4th place candidate in this race. It’s between Zais and Nelsen.
By Matt February 11, 2010 at 5:48 pm
So far Kelly Payne is the only candidate championing the issue of comprehensive school choice as a way to not only increase options for parents and students but to also increase competition in the education system. Which means Payne is the only candidate in a Republican Party primary advocating the platform of…the Republican Party.
By smart Kid Grant February 11, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Nelson is 3rd in the race and dropping, and although Zais has the most money, he is also the one least likely to win due to 1. he strongly supports school choice (never wins the majority) 2. all of his money is from the school choice crowd, which no one has one with…
By Andrew February 11, 2010 at 6:13 pm
No actually all three candidates are on record for supporting various types of school choice. None of them are on record for supporting private school vouchers. As far as I know, from the candidate forum, Nelsen was fairly adamant about not being for private school vouchers. Zais seems more slippery, though I think that’s largely because he doesn’t really know what he is for and is new to public school education issues and Republican party politics in general.
Most of Zais’ money comes from 1. his line of credit he gave his campaign and 2. out of state donors that are likely former military contacts. I’m not sure any candidate is bringing in money from the “school choice crowd”, though with Payne’s connections to Marchant, you would think she would have the closest connections to Howard Rich & Co.
Nelsen held a fund raiser with Sen. Jim DeMint last week, so I would figure that brought in a lot of cash to his campaign, besides helping to solidify the Upstate crowd for him. If this race turns on geography, he has a lot of natural allies there.
Regardless, whoever wins the primary, will be facing a well funded Frank Holleman.
By BIN News Editorial Staff February 11, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Good gracious. Someone call Inez and tell her we need her back in S.C.
By Matt February 11, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Kelly may not use the word “vouchers” but she comes the closest to advocating comprehensive statewide choice, including private schools. Zais says he supports “tax credits” in “test cases”. And as far as I can tell, Payne is the only one framing the issue in terms of competition–forcing the public schools to compete with private, charter and alternative schools for the students.
By BIN News Editorial Staff February 11, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Come on guys, we all know she’s in over her belly button with the SC Policy Scam Council, and everyone knows that’s a front for Howie the Voucher Fairy.
By Mike at the Beach February 12, 2010 at 6:45 am
BIN,
If there’s a fairy of any sort involved, we know you’ll be all over that…
By Kelly February 12, 2010 at 7:12 am
http://www.voiceforschoolchoice.com/2010/02/09/the-continuing-case-for-school-choice/
By Kelly February 12, 2010 at 7:13 am
http://www.voiceforschoolchoice.com/2010/02/11/the-real-story-on-school-budget-cuts/
By L. Jones February 13, 2010 at 12:05 pm
SC is ready for a new face. Kelly Payne is it. No one wants a pompous military general demanding his way or the highway. Nelsen is “nice”, although not a strong leader, he’s more of an ideological philosopher. Payne is on the fontlines currently in the public school system and has been a renegade when dealing with the establishment.
By Alex Hampton February 13, 2010 at 4:50 pm
@ L. Jones I believe it was Plato who said the best leader was that of the philosopher king. I’m not saying that Nelsen is a philosopher because I don’t think he is but you make it sound like being intelligent is a bad thing.
Kelly Payne will not win the primary. I think it is about time for her students (smart Kid Grant) to realize that she is a good teacher but is not a good leader. That can be proven by the fact that she is not in and has never been in an administrator or had any supervisory experience within the school.
Doesn’t it say something about her that her husband left her?
By I LOVE FURMAN and Alex Hampton February 13, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Sir Alex(“Hampton”):
I believe it was Plato that was also a homosexual and Socrates was a homosexual. But I do not discard of great ideas just because of an inconsequential act of behavior. Socrates was Plato’s lover — the strong partner. It’s very clear that Plato reveres Socrates as a god and also lover.
Now Alex, I am going to pull a “Bauer”….The top human priorities are exactly the same survival priorities of their predecessors: the animals. The top survival priorities are, in the order of importance: breathe oxygenated air, drink uncontaminated water, eat nutritious food, and reproduce via fit heirs. That’s where the animal–human biological equality stops. The humans added three more survival priorities, in this order of relevance to Fear: survival: hatred, love, and worship.
I’d stop while you are ahead Alex. It is scary— I want to “be” or “be” with, Nelsen, is just scary. Your history, err, (obsession) goes “way” back.
By Alex Hampton on July 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I think RT had a good point. What if Brent Nelsen switched races? He is doing relatively well in the gubernatorial race but his expertise is in education. Furthermore, he has visited schools across the state as per his campaign blog and his state wide name recognition is much larger than Ms. Payne’s. Does anybody know if there is any possibility of him switching races?
(or further possibilities of….. ditching his wife while he vacations in Austin, TX while he road munches on Texican)
By Alex Hampton February 14, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I almost didn’t dignify your babbling with a response but I felt that it was necessary to correct you grievous mistakes regarding my intentions. I am no more enamored with Dr. Nelsen than any other citizen who follows politics. I feel that he is the right choice for State Superintendent and he will present the best chance of putting a Republican in that office since 1999. (Not to mention his name is one letter different than the last Republican Superintendent) I have made my beliefs well know on this site as has every other commenter. Am I obsessed? No. Do I believe in Nelsen and hope he succeeds? Yes.
What was that last little bit about Texas?
By SnakeMD February 18, 2010 at 9:38 am
Hampton vs Furman.
The banter between the both of you reads like a bad Jane Austin novel. Do pray and carry on. Feel free to sling some more euphuisms. Suffer to say I enjoy immensely when the ire rises between bloggers, unless of course one is a sock puppet.
Kind personal regards.