BREAKING: Cyndie Romer Announces Candidacy To Succeed John Kowalko
I know two things: (a) she seems like a really good candidate on paper; and (b) Mike Matthews really likes her.
Hard to imagine a stronger successor to Kowalko, but it’s still early.
Cyndie Romer Launches Campaign for the 25th Representative District
(Newark, Delaware) – On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Newark mom and community
advocate Cyndie Romer launched her campaign to become the next State
Representative for the 25th District.
An IT professional at Diamond Technologies, Romer is a working mother of two
teenagers, Leah and Megan. She and her husband have lived in Newark for nearly
twenty years, where they are both active in the community.
“I am passionate about creating strong schools that strive to serve every
student,” says Romer. “I serve as the parent lead for Newark Charter’s Equity
Champions Group. As a Newark Charter School parent, I am very proud of our
school, but I have also seen first-hand the inequities that exist in our school
district. We must lift up our public schools so that every child can receive a
world-class education.”
In addition to her education advocacy work, Romer is an active member of Moms
Demand Action and the Newark Branch of the NAACP. She is deeply passionate about
women’s issues, LGBTQ+ equality, criminal justice reform and true racial justice.Her candidacy comes just weeks after long-time legislator Representative John
Kowalko announced his retirement, creating a vacancy in the seat for the first time
since 2006.
Romer will be announcing a public, in-person kickoff event in the coming weeks. For
more information, visit www.romerfordelaware.com .
Equity in education would require returning the human and financial resources for charter schools back to the public schools. Otherwise we are playing the “separate but equal” game in different degrees.
If Mike Matthews likes her, I feel very comfortable about how she’ll support public education.
What other candidate with a charter background makes this statement in their campaign kickoff…
“…but I have also seen first-hand the inequities that exist in our school
district.”
(My opposition to charters is well documented. But I’m not doctrinaire, especially when she clearly recognizes the problem.)
Kowalko’s shoes are large to fill when it comes to equity and charter schools.
An equity solution which enshrines charters as part of the solution would be a failure. If equity is the problem, charters are not part of the solution.
Does she plan to expand the 5 mile radius?
Arthur: the solution is not to expand the 5-mile radius. the solution is to eliminate it as a preference, as Kowalko’s HB238 would do.
Puck: Yes, equity is a problem, and charters have to be part of the solution. But you can’t assign more blame to charters when the system as a whole is responsible. Charters are just part of a system created and enabled by a power structure that has done little to reverse the inequities that were put in place more than 50 years ago.
I was unaware of Cyndie’s connection to charter schools. This is obviously an issue. I have been impressed with her on a number of social justice issues. But charters who pick and choose their kids and seek to segregate a district are ALSO a social justice issue, so I hope to get her thoughts on this. I still believe she’s a strong candidate. I will be following up. Thank you for tipping me off to this REV!
Mike