Romney, PTA tussle over appointment
Governor unhappy with parent group's choices for education panel
The idea seemed harmless: Put a parent on the state Board of Education for the first time, so that parents' concerns would be heard.
But the naming of a parent to the Board of Education has become a surprisingly intense tug-of-war between the state Parent Teachers Association and Governor Mitt Romney. Two weeks ago, the PTA sent Romney a list of three women from which to choose, including two Democrats, and asked the governor to pick one.
Instead, an aide from the governor's office last week told the PTA that the governor wanted three additional candidates, perhaps including a man. The problem with the PTA's list, a spokeswoman for Romney said, was that the candidates opposed the MCAS and charter schools. In the governor's view, the PTA's list didn't include someone who would represent most parents.
But PTA officials denied that all three candidates have the same views. They said the governor pushed the group to nominate a multimillionaire businessman and Romney supporter, but the governor's office disputes that.
The PTA's candidates are all mothers, and have been involved in parent groups over the years.
''He shouldn't be making a federal case out of this," said state Senator Robert A. Antonioni, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. ''We're talking about the PTA here."
Antonioni, a Leominster Democrat, filed the measure last year to include a PTA representative on the board after a decade of lobbying by the state PTA. The board members, who are unpaid, set educational policy for the state.
The state PTA, which is refusing to provide more names to the governor, views the governor's response as a rejection of its candidates and a blow to its efforts to get a parent voice on the state board, its president said. By July, one of the nine members on the state board must be nominated by the PTA, according to the law passed last year.
''We just went through a big process to try and find people who would be the perfect choice," said Jude Porth, president of the 18,000-member Massachusetts PTA. ''They can do the job. They may not kowtow and say yes to everything that somebody else says to them."
Porth said the governor's approach makes it seem as if he is trying to stack the board with a ''yes man." She said the governor had suggested businessman Carl McFadden, a Republican Party donor whom Romney had appointed to another state panel.
Julie Teer, a spokeswoman for Romney, said McFadden approached a Romney aide, which the businessman confirmed; the governor's office told him he had to go through the PTA. McFadden said he decided not to apply.
The PTA's candidates are still in the running for the job and will be interviewed soon, but the governor also has the legal right to ask for more candidates, Teer said.
''The governor wants to make sure whomever he appoints to this important position represents the interests of all parents, not just those opposed to charter schools and standardized testing," she said.
Ruth W. Provost, 56, of Sandwich, one of the three PTA candidates, served three terms in the state House of Representatives until she was defeated by a Republican in 2002. Pam Richardson, 35, a Framingham School Committee member, fought for a moratorium on charter schools. Alice B. DeLuca, 47, serves on the school board of a vocational high school in Lexington.
This week, the three nominees reacted with surprise, saying their views are not as clear-cut as the governor's office suggests.
''The governor hasn't even talked to the candidates yet," Provost said. ''I think it's premature to even be talking about additional candidates."
Provost said she is not against all charter schools or the MCAS.
Richardson said she looked forward to discussing her views in the interview for the post.
Richardson, a parent of a third- and a fourth-grader, said she would remind the board of the impact its decisions have, such as stress children may feel during MCAS testing.
Porth said the PTA fought to have a state board member who could represent parent organizations. The new parent member is expected to follow the state and national PTAs' stances, she said. The national PTA backs charter schools if they are held accountable for their work.
The PTA advertised the board opening to parents in newspapers and the state PTA newsletter, Porth said, but only four people applied, all of them women.
The governor names four members of the nine-member board and approves the nomination of two others: a labor union representative and a parent.
Roberta Schaefer, an outgoing board member appointed by Governor William F. Weld, said the governor should be able to choose any parent in the state.
''After all, there are thousands and thousands of parents from the state," she said. ''Why should the Legislature have restricted his choice to three?"
Richard Marlin -- legislative director for the AFL-CIO, which nominates a labor representative for the board -- said Romney's actions set a bad precedent.
''The purpose of having individual organizations being able to put people on the board is to give us an independent voice," said Marlin.
''If you're going to submit a name that basically is going to rubber-stamp the governor's position, then why bother?" 