A recent poll by SurveyUSA shows Randy Dorn, challenger for the Washington OSPI position, leading incumbent Terry Bergeson 43% to 38%, with 19% undecided. This is interesting given that Bergeson is a twelve-year incumbent, and Dorn got a late start after Richard Semler dropped out of the race for family reasons.

To anyone observing the "WASL Wars" of the past decade however, the poll results are not that surprising. Terry Bergeson has been the standard-bearer of education reform and the WASL exam as a graduation requirement (despite the fact that the WASL was not originally intended to prevent kids from graduating). Many parental and other education advocacy groups, including the powerful and well-funded WEA teacher's union, are in opposition to the WASL and to Terry Bergeson. This is also all the more striking, since Bergeson is a former WEA president!

In addition to opposing Bergeson on WASL issues, Dorn also advocates for greater resources and respect for Career and Technical Education (CTE), which many folks from an earlier era may know as Vocation Education. Many of Bergeson's foes dislike the fact that CTE funding and other resources have faded under her administation in favor of more "college-oriented" academic programs, which the WASL mose definitely favors.

This campaign may be Bergeson's swan song, and all those against the WASL and in favor of more powerful CTE programs are crossing their fingers and voting against Bergeson. Dorn picked the right year to run for OSPI. I wonder what Semler is thinking now…