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Lauren Faulk: Standing up for local schools
30 Plays8 months ago
In this episode host Steve Grappe talks with Lauren Faulk from House District 42, a veteran special education teacher from Greenbrier, Arkansas. She shares her journey from teaching to political candidacy, motivated by her involvement in the CAPES referendum and a desire to challenge the unopposed incumbent in her district. She discusses the pressing issues facing public education, the challenge of running for office, and the need for increased support for public schools.
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Transcript
Introduction to Stand Up Arkansas and Lauren Falk
00:00:19
Speaker
Hello, this is Steve Grapp. We're here with Stand Up Arkansas and today we have Lauren Falk from House District 42. She's here in the war room with us today and we're excited to introduce you to her. She is a candidate that we got to know during the CAPES campaign and the referendum process and education.
Motivation and Challenges of Running for Office
00:00:38
Speaker
Tell us about yourself. so Hey everybody, I am Lauren Falk. I am from Greenboro, Arkansas. I am my former special education teacher, a veteran special education teacher.
00:00:49
Speaker
um I taught at Spring Hill Elementary School and I got the political bug um after learns and with the CAPES initiative and getting my feet Really wet with that, getting out into the community, collecting signatures. That just got me motivated to to run and really just dig my teeth into it. And the candidate that was the representative in our district right now, he had no one running against him last time. So he just got it.
00:01:20
Speaker
um And seeing that happen just really made me frustrated. And I was like, there's got to be somebody. There's got to be somebody who's going to run against him. And I was talking to my mom and talking to my dad and my husband and just kind of working things out. And I just decided to run. Thank you. Well, i thank you for for your help. and I think that it's so great how many teachers we have running now. We have 17 teachers running. How amazing is that? But again, how pissed off were these teachers, right? Because this is not easy, right? Running for office is not easy. Making phone calls, meeting people that you probably would have never met is very hard work. I think it's harder than being a teacher, but man, it was needed.
Public School Challenges and Funding Issues
00:02:07
Speaker
It is needed and you know here in Arkansas. There's a whole lot that they've public schools is under attack and you know, there's this the whole movement to privatize and parent choice and you know all of that razzmatazz, but you know.
00:02:23
Speaker
the majority of our students are going to be public education students. We have 575,000 public education students in Arkansas. There isn't enough private schools in the world to handle that. Absolutely not. And and we were talking about this earlier that I was actually an early childhood interventionist through Arch Ford. So I had Southside, Bee Branch, Clinton, Shirley, and I would drive you know that little route and see the students and go into the preschools and into the head starts.
00:02:52
Speaker
And so I really got to have boots on the ground to see what the education system was and what we have going on now and how beautiful those rural schools are and how it's the heartbeat of those schools. Oh, yeah. And as the whole community, of the whole community. So you've got funding that are going to those private schools that are actually taking away from those public schools. But we those public schools need the money.
00:03:16
Speaker
yes you know I had to do, I was talking to my mom about it, I had to do therapy sitting next to a hot water heater in a closet at one of these schools. I'm happy to have done that, to provide those services for those kids. But what happens when those services go away? What happens when the funding runs out? And so that's what motivates me every single day to get on this campaign and focus on our public schools and and the education that our awesome public teachers are providing.
00:03:45
Speaker
You know, we, like we own the learn Zach, you know, and there are good, positive things. I'm glad that our teachers are making $50,000 a year minimum. and How long did it take? Well, and know what about those teachers that have put 19, 20, 30 years into the system and they're making the same thing as a brand new teacher that you you can't have that either. It sends the wrong message. Absolutely. So if you think of it in a corporate.
00:04:07
Speaker
right you're and If you're in a corporate job and you've been there like you were saying 19, 20 years and you're making that and then someone comes in and they're making the same, are you kidding me? hal How depressing is that as as a teacher, as an individual? And then you've got to say, well, yeah, well now the laws have changed and and that's all well and good.
00:04:29
Speaker
gum it Those teachers have deserved it. They have deserved this race for
Teachers' Role During COVID-19 and Political Critique
00:04:33
Speaker
years. and you know And to compound it is then when you get that new teacher in, who do they ask to mentor? Who do they ask to teach them? Who do they ask to to help cover for them?
00:04:44
Speaker
Absolutely and then you've and so now you're training the new teacher it's making the same amount as you and you're doing all the things and then it was so funny because of covid they were like oh the teachers are the heroes the teachers are the heroes yeah you you dag them right teachers are the heroes we're doing all the things And then now how many years after COVID, they finally gave them something a little bit, but they tied so many strings to it. It's almost chokehold them. The problem is, is that the first thing coming out of our governor's mouth and a lot of our politicians mouth is how terrible our public education system is and how terrible our teachers are.
00:05:24
Speaker
and like And so now you're you're almost making a criminal out of those teachers who were there doing drive-throughs during COVID, going those extra miles, bringing packets to kids' houses, bringing food to kids' houses, making sure that everybody was okay that was on their roster. That's what these teachers were doing. So yeah, they should have gotten even more.
00:05:45
Speaker
Well, and then we pass this multi hundreds of million dollar learns package and the two words special education is not even mentioned. 144 pages, no mention of special education at all. So it's a problem. And then we have, you know, you can move kids into a private school and use our public funds and they don't have to provide the special education, not at all.
Changing Perceptions of Public Education
00:06:10
Speaker
And that's where I try to tell a lot of my parents is that, you know,
00:06:14
Speaker
you're looking at public schools, we are bending over backwards for our parents. At least I know I did. I bent over backwards, helping them any way that I knew how and giving those services that those kids need.
00:06:27
Speaker
private schools don't have to do that. Right. They they don't have to even certify other teachers. You can have the wife of the pastor be the teacher right for biology. or and she and And she may have some certifications behind her, but not as much as these teachers have been teaching 19, 20 years, who may be nationally certified, who may have master's degrees, who are reading specialists. Or doctorates. Absolutely. So ah things have to change.
00:06:54
Speaker
We do. and And yes, I want the the breeding coaches and I want the mentor programs and I want that, but we need more. We have to change the philosophical outlook of what public education is because when you talk to people, it's like a burden. Like, oh, I got to educate somebody else's kid.
Community Involvement and Campaign Contact
00:07:10
Speaker
Right.
00:07:10
Speaker
No, you're educating our citizens. yeah You are determining what the economy of our nation and our state and our communities are going to be 10 years from now. If we don't provide the smart kids with the opportunity for education, they're going out of state right and they aren't coming back. No, they're not. And then you have to look past your nose. Right. And that's what a lot of people, they were not doing that. We're not looking past our own nose. Right. And so you've got to look at, I want to help raise the people who are going to be taking care of me later.
00:07:40
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Y'all here, we're here with Lauren Falk and I want to, I want to talk to her more. I don't know if we'll be able to bring her back on another segment or not. I don't know what they're doing for today, but if we can't, we're going to get you back. Tell us how people can get in touch with you. So you can go on my website and it's Falk for Arkansas dot.com. You can email me, um I will talk to you as much as you want to talk. um I am so excited to be here and so excited just to get my word out and and meet everybody who shares the same like-minded individuals.
00:08:13
Speaker
Let's have a discussion. Right. I love it. Fault for Arkansas. so yeah F-A-U-L-K-F-O-R, Arkansas. That's right. And it's comp.com. Yes, sir. Y'all get in touch with her. I'm so glad she
Future Topics and Episode Conclusion
00:08:27
Speaker
was here today. I want to talk a whole lot more. It sounds like she's got her good head on her shoulders. You understand the problem with our education. I'd like to talk about women's autonomy. I'd like to talk about government transparency.
00:08:38
Speaker
there marijuana rights. There's a whole lot of things that and I know you have a lot to say about. Maybe we can circle back to that soon. Absolutely. Thank you guys. Thank you.