Race, education, and conspiracy theories swirling around a Madison School Board election.

This is complicated. Too complicated to begin to read as I'd originally presented the material. So I've changed the post title and written this paragraph to try to ease you into something that will seem very intra-Madison, but it has some big, general themes that outsiders should relate to.

The Cap Times tries to untangle things.

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to figure out that the Bradley Foundation’s supposed functionary allegedly behind [Ananda] Mirilli’s candidacy is Kaleem Caire, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison and architect of 2011’s controversial Madison Preparatory Academy proposal for a charter school aimed at African-American children.



Caire proudly claims his stint of more than a decade ago as CEO of the Bradley-funded Black Alliance for Educational Options, which supports greater parental choice options to improve education, especially for students of color.

Mirilli told me her campaign [for a seat on the Madison school board] was haunted by the idea that she was pro-voucher and anti-union, even though she says she is doubtful of the efficacy of vouchers and was not recruited by Caire as the local grapevine seemed to have everyone convinced....

Mirilli, a Latina, adds that she was encouraged in her run by a trio of former School Board members who filled her in on what it requires. She was not convinced that Madison Prep was the answer to the district’s woes, she says, but stresses that Caire’s putting the achievement gap issue on the public agenda has been incredibly valuable.

“We have to talk about a racial analysis; when we are looking at a curriculum or a strategy or a program, we need to look at whether it is culturally specific to the group we are targeting,” Mirilli says.

So... a conspiracy theory was used to defeat Mirilli... or is this a conspiracy theory about a conspiracy theory? I'm glad the Cap Times is getting into the act — along with David Blaska — trying to figure out what is going on. Mirilli was defeated in the primary, and one of the 2 winners — Sarah Manski — withdrew 2 days later, leaving us with only one live candidate on the ballot. Mirilli's name can still be written in.

Mirilli says she's not going to do a write-in campaign, but she hasn't said she won't serve if elected. I'm voting in that election, which is the same one with the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and I can't figure out anything to do other than to write in Mirilli.

I'm sorry if this is a little too intra-Madison for most of my readers, but perhaps you will take some interest in the topics of school vouchers (which Governor Walker has proposed expanding to include Madison) and charter schools (you may remember my posts about Kaleem Caire's Madison Prep, which was voted down by the Madison school board in 2011).