Deployed, Not Disqualified: Defending Servicemembers in Our Schools

The comi- uh, the Committee on Education and Workforce will please come to order. A quorum is present. The committee meets today pursuant to notice without objection the chair may recess the committee at any point. Good morning and welcome, uh, to the Committee on Education and Workforce. Military service members deserve our highest respect and our deepest gratitude. For their service to our country. When service members are deployed, leaving behind their jobs, their families and their communities to serve in harm's way, they should have our full support. And when military members return home, their communities and their employers should welcome them back with open arms. That should be common sense. Unfortunately, too many service members face professional obstacles because of their military service, both while they are deployed and when they return home. Uh, some have even faced outright employment discrimination, including in our nation's school systems. This committee has received troubling reports of elected school board members facing criticism, harassment, and intimidation because their military service required them to deploy. We've also seen numerous reports of teachers losing their jobs or being denied pay raises because they were deployed. No American serving overseas, uh, defending our country, should return home to find local officials using their absence to attack them. That's inexcusable. Our schools should welcome service members home, not criticize or penalize them for serving. In fact, we should want more service members and veterans in schools. Students benefit from role models who know the meaning of sacrifice and service, who understand what it's meant uh to perform a duty honorably, and who appreciate the importance of defending liberty for future generations. Those are qualities our education shift system should seek out and celebrate. Honoring military service also means listening to military families about the challenges they face and the support they need. And one issue we cannot overlook is education. As we'll hear today, a two thousand five survey, a two thousand twenty five survey found that military members ranked education as the second most important issue affecting their families, second only to economic concerns. That should matter to policymakers. Military families make extraordinary sacrifices for this country, and we should ensure those sacrifices do not put their children at an educational disadvantage. That includes giving military parents the freedom to choose the educational option that best meets their children's needs. May I add, that's what we ought ought to have for all parents,

Mm-hmm.

uh, the best opportunity to meet their needs. And will it, when, when military parents are empowered to select the best educational options for their children, our communities stand to benefit as well. These are parents who can bring a spirit of service to school boards, classrooms, volunteer organizations, and school leadership at a time when test scores are declining, and they are, sadly. Too many students are disengaged and too many school systems seem more interested in political indoctrination than in education. Our schools need teachers superintendents, and school board members who are committed to rigorous instruction, high expectations, and American ideals. Service members and veterans are uniquely equipped uh to c- to contribute to this mission. They understand teamwork, they understand accountability, they understand excellence and integrity, and perhaps most importantly, they understand what it means to put mission before self. Military service in our schools should be a cause for celebration, not discrimination. I'm proud to support our service members and I'm profoundly grateful for their service and sacrifice. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about what schools, communities, and government can do to better serve those who have served all of us. Pursuant to Committee Rule eight C, all members who wish to insert written statements into the record may do so by submitting them to the committee clerk electronically in Microsoft Word format by five PM, fourteen days after this hearing. And without objection, the hearing will, record will remain open for fourteen days to allow such statements and other extraneous material noted during the hearing to be submitted for the official hearing record. Got that done.

You got a lot. That's the fine print.

I'll now turn to in- introduction of our three witnesses. Our first witness, uh Miss Chris Ne- uh Miss, Mister Chris Neely, Superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, which has its headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina. Thanks for being here. Our second witness, Mrs. Amy Steyer. from Richmond, Michigan, right here at home. Thank you for being here. Our final witness is Mister, Mister Jonathan Butcher, acting director of the Center for Education Policy, and Will Skillman, senior research fellow in education policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC. Thanks for being here. We thank each of the wit- witnesses for what they will add uh to this hearing today. Pursuant to committee rules, I would ask that you each limit your oral presentation to five minute summary of your written statement which we have read. I would also like uh to remind the witnesses to be aware of their responsibility to provide accurate information to the committee. I'll first recognize Superintendent Neely for your testimony.

Chairman Wahlberg, Congresswoman MacLaine, thank you for the opportunity to testify today and I wanna thank you for putting kids first. My name is Chris Neely and I'm from Lexington, South Carolina, and I serve as superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District serving more than thirty-one thousand students in fifty-five schools across our state. I'm also honored to serve as a colonel in the United States Army Reserve. Today, I appear solely in my civilian capacity as a public school superintendent and my views are my own. For more than two decades, I've served our country in uniform, and throughout my civilian career, serve children and families. Those are different missions, but both have taught me the same lesson, leadership matters. The milita- military understands that leadership matters at every echelon. Public education works much the same way. The classroom teacher leads closest to our mission, the child. Principals lead schools. District leaders create conditions for success. School boards provide governance and accountability. America's children need strong leaders at every level. So how do we protect those who serve our country so our children can fully benefit from their leadership? First, we must protect those who serve. Federal law provides important employment protections for service members, but compliance should be the floor, not the ceiling. Military service should be viewed by school systems as an asset, not an inconvenience. States should add protections for our military leaders, serving in our schools. No American should have to choose between serving our country and serving our children. Second, we should recruit and mobilize military leadership in our schools. For more than two hundred and fifty years, America has invested enormously in developing leaders who lead teams, solve problems, operate under pressure, develop others, accept accountability, and put mission before self. Why wouldn't we want more of those leaders in our public schools? For veterans, education can become a natural next mission. Guard and reserve members can serve as teachers, substitutes, principals, coaches, mentors, CTE instructors, district leaders, superintendents, and school board members. And when appropriate, active duty service members can serve as mentors, STEM and career advisors, coaches, role models, modeling citizenship and service to someone, something greater than oneself. We should also remove unnecessary barriers without lowering standards. South Carolina has created pathways for qualified non-certified teachers. Similar approaches can allow veterans, reservists, guardsmen to bring their technic- technical expertise, professional experience, and leadership directly into the classroom. Third, we should create what I call a military-ready employer designation, an MRE for public school districts. Everyone in the military knows what a mill-ready heat is. This MRE would recognize districts that intentionally recruit, support and retain service members and veterans. My district is already a purple star district, supporting military-connected students and families. We could build MRE practices into that model, supporting not only the children of those who serve, but those who serve our children. We also need this leadership in the school boardroom. In our district, retired four-star Air Force General Lloyd Figg-Newton, The first African-American pilot selected to fly with the US Air Force Thunderbirds chairs one of our charter schools, Polaris Tech Charter School, in rural Jasper County, South Carolina. Great schools require great governance. We already see the potential in our state. Our district partners with the South Carolina National Guard, the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs, the Military Child Education Coalition, and our military installations across our state. Congress can help connect partnerships like these nationwide, linking military, veterans, and education resources already in our communities. I see that as a force multiplier for public education. My doctoral research at Clemson University examines how veterans apply military leadership principles to education. Intent, trust, discipline initiative, developing leaders, and accountability. These principles belong in great schools. So I'll leave you with three ideas. Protect those who serve, recruit those who have served, and apply proven military leadership principles to public education. Protect, recruit, apply. In our district, we call that kids first. In closing, I wanna share a story of a young man who reminds me why this matters. A few days ago, I visited Orangeburg High School for Health Professions, one of our charter schools along South Carolina's I-ninety-five corridor, a region historically associated with poverty and inadequate educational opportunities. And sadly, it's been called the corridor of shame. I call it the corridor of opportunity. Seventy-five percent of students at this school are identified as pupils in poverty. But that number doesn't tell you about the spark inside each child, their potential, their purpose, and what they can become when someone believes in them. During my visit, I was given a tour of the school by senior leader, Giovanni Williams. He knew I served in the Army Reserve. He said to me, " Superintendent Neely, I wanna join the Army Reserve like you. Would you be my mentor?" And of course I said, absolutely, I would be honored to be your mentor. Members of the committee, that's what this is all about. I saw his spark, a young man who wants to serve, lead, and become a part of something greater than himself. Giovanni saw a school district superintendent who modeled the principles and values of the United States Army. He wanted to be like me. Mister Chairman, Congresswoman McClain, all across America there are young people like Giovanni who need a teacher, coach, mentor, principal, superintendent, yes, a school board member, who sees their spark and the great potential inside of them. Our veterans, guardsmen, reservists and service members can be those people. America has already invested in developing them. Now let's create opportunities for them to invest in our children. Because when we put great leaders in the lives of children, we strengthen our communities, we strengthen our democracy, and most importantly, we change the trajectory of a child's life. Thank you.

Thank you, Superintendent. Now I recognize uh Mrs. Steyer for your five minutes of testimony.

My name is Amy Steyer and I'm the wife of Master Sergeant Raymond Steyer, a member of the Michigan National Guard. My husband also serves on the Richmond Community School Board of Rich- of Education in Macomb County, where he was sworn in in January of twenty twenty five. I wanna share a story not to create more division, but because I believe there is an important lesson in everything our family has experienced. In the spring of twenty twenty four, a temporary seat on the school board became available after a board member stepped down. Where he applied, interviewed for the position, there were two candidates. After the interviews, during a board discussion that was recorded comments were made by a couple of board members indicating they did not believe the board needed a man. Ultimately, the vote ended in a tie and neither candidate received the seat. The decision went back to the interview process. Ray then made a decision to run for the one of the seats on the ballot in November of twenty twenty four. During that campaign, three sitting board members sent letters to the community members encouraging them to vote for other candidates. The community response was overwhelming. Many residents told Ray they had never seen anything like this before. Instead of discouraging people from supporting him, it motivated many of them to stand behind him. Throughout the campaign, we also heard from many members of our community who felt it was time for change. People shared their concern about the direction of the board. What they described was toxicity and division and they wanted new voices and a different approach. Ray ran in one of the two seats on the ballot. He was sworn in on January of twenty twenty five. Then toward the end of the summer, Ray received orders for a six month military deployment, beginning in October with an expected return date of April twenty twenty six. Ray worked tirelessly to make sure our family had everything we needed before he left, but he also made arrangements to continue serving his community. While serving his country, he set up a system on his laptop so he could participate in school board meetings remotely from overseas. After arriving in country October first, He continued attending board meetings despite the time difference. There were meetings taking place around two AM his time. Sometimes he was attending meetings when he should have been sleeping or eating breakfast. He did this because he took his commitment to the people who elected him seriously. Then things changed. Ray found himself in what he described to us as a very spicy situation. He was in a war zone and eventually he was evacuated. At the end of February of twenty twenty six, the board that he would no longer have the capacity to attend meetings until further notice. At that point, Ray had missed approximately two or three board meetings. It was then that two board members publicly spoke about what they described as Ray's disservice to the district because he had not resigned before leaving for his deployment. One board member even referenced discussions that had taken place away from public table and ultimately acknowledged that there was nothing they could do because the community had voted Ray into that position. Other board members did come to Ray's defense. The argument was that the board had important votes coming up and that Ray's absence left them with six members instead of seven. One of the issues mentioned was the selection of a new superintendent. A situation arose only after Ray had already deployed and the superintendent had had uh at the time abruptly retired. As his wife, I was fierce and I was hurt and honestly, I wasn't completely surprised by where some of these comments came from. But I made a decision, I did not call the media, I did not contact the news outlets, I did not organize a campaign against anyone, I simply shared the video on my personal Facebook page. Ray's story spread far beyond our expectations and people began sharing their own thoughts about what had happened. Since then however, our family has faced another battle, this time on the home front. For nearly six months, my family has experienced what we believe has been ongoing harassment and bullying connected to one of the board members and her husband. A Facebook page was created where accusation of sp- a personal attack and information about Ray's personal life has been posted. What started with two people speaking publicly has grown into something much larger. And while we can disagree about school board policies, policies, candidates' decisions, I believe there is a line that should never be crossed. Attacking someone's family and attempting to destroy their character. His deployment was extended but thankfully he returned safely in late May. There has also been positive activities throughout all of this. Our district has gained a wonderful new superintendent, who I believe can bring amazing things to our schools and our students. Our community has shown that it cares deeply about what happens within our school district. Through everything one thing has remained clear to me, our men and women in uniform are the backbone of this country. They leave their families behind. They miss birthdays, holidays, milestones, and ordinary moments that most of us take for granted. And they put themselves in dangerous situations because they took an oath to protect this country. They don't do it for the validation, they don't do it for a pat on the back. They do it because they believe in something bigger than themselves. Ray did not stop being a husband, father, soldier, a community servant when he deployed. If anything, he tried to continue to fulfill every responsibility he had. He served his country while trying to serve the community that I believe our military members deserve respect, not only when they are wearing a uniform but also when they return home and continue serving their communities in other ways. There are men and women across this country who serve in schools and on our boards and in our communities in public positions, while they also are serving in the military. They should not have to choose between serving their country, serving their community, to where they are elected to represent. Ray was elected by the people, and when circumstances become became dangerous and completely out of his control he did what he had to do to stay alive and return home to his family i am proud of him as the soldier and husband and father he is i am proud that even though everything our family has experienced to continue to care and support by his community and students he was elected to serve we can disagree we can debate but we can do all those things without destroying families attacking someone's character or forgetting the sacrifices made by the men and women who served this country At the end of the day, I am simply a wife and who wants her husband home safe, a mother who wants her family left in peace, a community member who believes we can do better and that we should expect better. Most importantly, we should remember that behind every service member is a family who has served too.

Thank you. And now I recognize Mister Butcher for Butcher for your uh five minutes of testimony.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Jonathan Butcher. I'm the Acting Director of the Center for Education Policy and the Will Skilman Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own and should not be construed as representing any official position of the Heritage Foundation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Representative McClain, for the opportunity to testify. My testimony makes two points. First, Congress should give military families more education options by allowing federal education funds to follow children to the learning environments Second, states should move school board elections to general election years so that more voters participate and school boards better reflect the communities they serve. Military families care deeply about their children's education. Their commitment to our country and the sacrifices they make are more than enough reason to offer these families the chance to choose how and where their children learn. Furthermore, parents who are empowered to select the best educational settings for their children report being more quote " plugged in" to their children's school, which means they are more likely to become active in their school communities, whether through volunteering, teaching, serving on school boards. To protect and even enhance service members' involvement, policymakers should give them the ability to choose their child's educational setting. Military parents report higher levels of satisfaction when they can choose their children's schools. Among survey respondents from a twenty twenty-five survey of military members, Eighty-two percent of parents whose children attend charter schools said they were, quote, " very satisfied with their child's schooling experience." Satisfaction rates were also higher among families using private schools and Department of Defense educational activity schools than traditional assigned schools. Federal policymakers can help to meet the needs of military families by allowing parents to direct their children's share of federal education funding toward the learning opportunities that best fit their children's needs. One way to do so is through education savings accounts, which are already available to families in nearly two dozen states, including Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia. Within ESA, policymakers deposit a portion of a child's spending from the state funding formula into a private account that parents use to buy education products and services for their child. ESAs give parents the flexibility to choose the educational setting that works best for their children. Families can use these accounts to pay for private school tuition or customize an education program using a combination of services, including textbooks, on-line courses, tutoring, and specialized therapy for children with disabilities. Military families should have access to these opportunities. Second, state lawmakers should change school board election cycles so that these elections fall on general election years. As the Heritage Foundation's Education Freedom Report card explains, School board elections are often held off cycle, when voter turnout is substantially lower than in general elections. These low turnout contests allow well-organized interest groups, such as teachers' unions, to exert outsized influence over both candidates and election outcomes. Consequently, candidates backed by unions often enjoy a significant advantage over their opponents. Evidence suggests that this dynamic affects the composition of school boards. A Brookings Institution survey found that thirty-seven percent of school board members identified as quote liberal or very liberal, compared with twenty-three point six percent of those who identified as conservative or very conservative. These ideological differences can shape debates over curriculum, civics instruction, and policies related to quote gender identity in schools. Teacher unions have long advocated for a range of policy positions, including support for gender identity initiatives, and radical race-related educational programs such as DEI. These unions and their allies have reliably left of center policy goals, including promoting transgender activity among minors and radical racial concepts inconsistent with civil rights laws. Because unions are among the most active participants in off-cycle elections, their policy preferences often carry significant weight in school board governance. The combination of low voter turnout An organized interest group participation helps explain the ideological leanings observed on many school boards. Moving school board elections to general election years would increase voter participation and broaden representation. In jurisdictions where election dates are determined locally, rather than by state law, local officials should pursue the same reform. State lawmakers should adopt policies that encourage voter participation in these elections. Service members care deeply about their children's education. School boards need more balanced representation. Protecting the participation of service members on school boards and in the classroom will provide more viewpoint diversity on these boards, and in schools. Policies that provide these protections will also benefit service members and their families a benefit they deserve as they defend our nation. Thank you.

Thank you to each of you for uh your testimonies. And now we uh turn to questioning uh by the members and uh um appreciate uh being a lea uh representing Maclean's district here, and her attention to this concern, bringing it to the committee's concern as well. So I will uh recognize the gentlelady from Macomb County, from Michigan, uh Miss Maclean.

gentle lady. Thank you, Mister Chairman, and uh thanks for coming out, I I really do appreciate a field hearing is an easy thing to do. But I think sometimes we get in Washington and and we need to get back into the field and into our community so thank you very much for doing that. Um I have so much to say on this topic and when I read about what happened, it really touched me deeply so I know I came out and met with the family to get the facts, but now I wanna do an actual hearing so that the the country can hear the facts because we have an epidemic right now, and I think it needs to have some attention. So I wanna do something crazy and I wanna actually just start with the facts, right? First let me start with saying thank you for being here, Amy, and thank thank everyone for being here. Um, when the people of Richmond elected your husband, the people of Richmond, right, cuz we had a duly elected and they elected him, Did he try to hide the fact that he was in the military? Did, was it obvious that he was in the military? Did he, you know, tell you, don't tell anybody I'm in the military, or was he a little bit proud that he was in the military serving our country?

Well, I can say that he did not hide the fact that he was in the military. My husband is very humble when it comes to his military service, so he obviously did not run on that.

Yep.

But, um, yes, it was very well known. Ray grew up here his whole life.

Alright.

So people knew.

Wonderful. So people knew he was in the military. Okay. When he deployed in October, he was eight time zones away, but did I hear you correctly? He kept showing up for board meetings using that, you know, technology. Remember how during COVID we all had Zoom meetings? He employed that same technology maybe at two in the morning sometimes. Is that correct?

Yes, um, he was an eight hour time difference at the time. Um, so he was getting up at two AM his time, um, attending board meetings. Um, if I recall there was one board meeting our time that went to almost midnight and uh Ray attended that one.

Wow. Well, please thank him from myself and our community for doing that job and for caring about the constituents in his community and for caring about the kids in his community. But here's what I find interesting. The seat that that your husband um actually took, that seat sat empty for months, correct?

Um, I'm not sure on the time frame, but it was at least a month or two it sat empty,

Hmm.

um, because he originally, that's in my speech,

Yeah.

where he had applied for it, um, and there was a tie, so then it sat until they found their replacement.

Right. So it sat empty, right? Anybody scream and holler and pound their chest cuz it sat empty for months?

No.

Really? OK. So, then your husband deploys for months and suddenly we have a crisis situation on our hands. The same seat that sat empty for two months that nobody complained about on the school board, all of a sudden beep beep beep, we got a crisis on our hands. Correct? OK. Two board members were not afraid to call both ray and your family out. And they called his name out loud. They put it out loud in public, right? While he was taking fire overseas. So let me just share, I only think it's fair that we call those two board members out, since they felt obligated to call your husband ray out. Let's call those two board members out. Miss Sandra Fortuna and Miss Margaret Telto. Those were the two board members that, from my recollection, called his service to our country a disservice. I got that right? I, I don't wanna put fact, I don't wanna put words in anybody's mouth,

No, they called him a disservice, yes.

but they, they called him a disservice. Okay. When your husband found out, did he text you that day?

No, um, actually, um, he sent a group text to all of the board members, letting them know that he knew what they had said, but at the time he wanted them to know that he was under attack, and that he had to secure that his soldiers were safe, and that he was disheartened to hear that he was attacked, not only where he is, but on the home front as well.

And what was their response, Miss um, Teltow and Miss Fortuna?

There was no response.

There's no response. Hmm. So it's a disgrace that your husband who is serving, taking fire overseas, making sure that we can all lay in our beds safely at night. These two women, Miss Fortuna and Miss Atelto, find that a disservice because he can no longer attend some board meetings. Was that his choice that he couldn't attend? No, ma'am. OK. OK. Just just check it. So, I'm out of time. I have a lot to say, but I'll say that on the next round. Thank you for the facts in this situation. We got a seat that's held open for many months, but nobody complained. Now all of a sudden a service member who has stayed up eight time zones away, who can participate, suddenly can't participate for a short period of time, and now all of a sudden we have a crisis. Hmm. Seems interesting to me, Mister Chairman.

The gentlelady's time has expired, and uh thank you for yielding. Um, Superintendent Neely, thank you for being here. Also I wanna say thank you for your service. Uh, you'd - you mentioned that you were a colonel in the Army Reserve. You also, as I know, um mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. So thank you, uh, for doing that. Uh, second, I would love to hear more from you. how your military service has informed your education career. You touched on some of that in your testimony, but what are some of the values, principles, skills from your military's career that have helped you most in leading the South Carolina charter school district?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My military experience in in leadership development over the course of two decades uh informs uh almost every back to my leadership of the public charter school district in South Carolina. Leadership matters at every level, and I believe if we're gonna have great schools, then it starts with having a great leader in the classroom. Starts with having a great administrator at the school level and at the district level, and yes, in the school board room. And if we're gonna improve education, if we're gonna move the needle on the the NAEP scores in America where we continue to see declines in math and reading scores then we've got to do more in terms of integrating our military personnel, our reservists and guards members into our public schools, in all levels of leadership position so that our kids can can see the model of of liber- of leadership, uh watch them model service, uh their strategic function, and putting mission before self.

In South Carolina um there are a number of key military bases. So I would guess that you have service members uh and veterans who have served as teachers or school board members in your charter schools. Um what do you do to make sure that these service members feel welcomed and fully supported in their military responsibilities as well as their educational responsibilities?

Yes sir, so right now in the public charter school district we have uh seventy veterans and current service members serving as teachers and administrators in our public charter,

Seventy.

seventy. We have over seven hundred military connected kids in our charter schools in South Carolina. And what we find is culture matters, just like in the military, a strong culture ma- matters, a culture of great strong values and work ethic. And so that's what we've developed in South Carolina in the public charter school district starting at the district level. We have strategic focus that's aligned with our mission, vision, and values. and our motto of putting all kids first. And it's through those values that we operate our budget, our academic components, all under those values. And so when you create the right culture, you attract great teachers and leaders. And that's why I think we see more and more military

Mm-hmm.

leaders wanting to enter the classroom i- i- enter, you know, administrative levels in our schools to help make a difference in their community.

That's impressive. That And it seems to work.

It's w- it's working and I will say our military connected kids in our schools outperform all other kids in the States, state of South Carolina on meeting, uh, math and reading scores. I will also say that we've seen our largest influx in military kids and and and veterans into our schools over the last seven years. Uh, they wanna be a part of something great, just like their service in the United States military.

Great, great. Thank you. Um, Mister Butcher, um, Your testimony describes how different service members' educational needs are from those of civilians. Um, students in military families typically have a cycle through six to nine school districts, um, by the time they graduate from high school. Um, could you give some examples of the unique needs that such frequent relocations produce for military uh connected students, as well how uh would freeing up some uh, dollars for families to spend more flexibly and educational expenses help meet those needs.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And as you can imagine, changing a school f- with a young child is a huge change. Uh, you're finding new, uh, friends, new teammates, new teachers, new coaches. It's a big, uh, development for a young, uh, a young child, particularly students that have disabilities. So when parents can use a portion of their child's spending from a school funding formula, or from federal spending set aside for them, they can choose a specific educational therapist that meets their needs. Uh, they can choose, uh, on-line courses to help their child keep up if they're moving to a school that's moving at a different pace than the school that they came from. Um, they can choose, uh, obviously a new, uh, private school in some cases. As I've talked and even surveyed some families in states like Arizona, uh, North Carolina, we have seen that these families are in fact using the education savings accounts in those States for multiple products and services just as it's designed.

Yeah, I appreciated your testimony and my time has expired as well, and I note that. I appreciated the number of times you referred to the fact that state legislators could do these type of things that would assist education across the board but also in the military frame of reference. That certainly is our perspective, moving it back from the federal government

Thank you again, Mister Chairman.

Thank you.

Colonel, thank you so much for your years of service. Um, you run fifty-five schools and you have worn the uniform for two decades. And we we appreciate that and we say thank you. I think you've touched on it, but I just wanna make sure that I'm clear. Does a military command background make l- make someone less capable of serving on a school board or does it make them an incredible asset?

I think it's a great asset. It's a force multiplier in our public schools when we have military leaders who have been in command at all levels um in the United States military to be able to come into our public school system. And and be that leader in the classroom. Be that leader at the school level and the district level, and of course in the boardroom. Um, but at the end of the day, um, when we talk about, you know, what happened to Miss Dyer and her family and her husband, you know, when I think about that situation, and I, I'm really inspired by your testimony, I mean, the fact of the matter is, it's a missed opportunity if school boards and school districts ignore

Yeah.

the value of military leadership and what it can bring to our public schools. I said this earlier, for two hundred and fifty years we've been developing strong leaders. We have a proven model. Why would we not wanna bring that model into our public schools?

Amazing. It works.

It works.

So, so you would say having a military person on your board would be an asset.

It's a huge asset.

I agree.

Absolutely. We seek out military leaders to serve on our boards. And I I mentioned General Newton, uh, who serves on one of our charter school boards.

Cuz leadership matters.

Leadership matters.

Yes.

It's the most important thing we can do in public

Yeah.

education to change the trajectory of a child's life.

So, when S- uh, when, when Sandra Fortuna whined that Ray's ass um absence slowed down a budget and a superintendent search, my question is, did it?

Of course it doesn't, and I commend the fact that he continued to serve while he was deployed. I've been deployed and had to continue to s- serve from Afghanistan. This past year I, as a battalion commander, I deployed two companies to the Middle East during the current war that we're in. And some of them served back home. One of them from Michigan served on the city council on a town just outside of Detroit.

Wow. Wow.

But he continued to, he continued to fight and serve both fronts.

Right.

But he too, uh, was threatened with removal. So the fact of the matter is,

Yeah.

we've got to do more to educate, we've got to do more to enforce the policies we have at the federal and state level to protect our service members.

Yeah. I I often wonder if this was a woman who was pregnant and had to take a leave of absence from maternity if we would if those two board members would feel the same way, but that's a different topic for a different day. You observe boards statewide. Is managing an absence, cuz I'm sure from time to time board have boards have absences, is that a real crisis that we need to you know have an election and kick these people off and start a Facebook page? Is that a real crisis? Or is it just a pathetic excuse from a board member who've lost their who's lost their way?

I believe we've advanced enough in America with technology where we can conduct meetings virtually from anywhere.

Wow.

And in the public charter school district, our charter schools are all over the state of South Carolina.

Yeah. Wow.

So as superintendent, I'm managing fifty-five schools with thirty-one thousand students that are located in every zip code in our state. And we somehow are able to manage that through technology.

So Isn't it beautiful?

Yeah, so it's a beautiful thing, yes.

Technology's a good thing, right? All right.

And we're one of the highest performing districts in our state.

Wonderful. So we can do both.

We can do both.

Wow. Well, yeah, anyways. Mister Butcher, I'd like to turn to you. Um, Michigan law explicitly in- allows remote participation for military duty. Is that correct?

Uh, I would be happy to look at the law, but I believe so.

Wonderful. I believe it does too. What does it say When a board member substitutes their own radical judgment and calls the soldier's service a burden, what do you think that does?

Well, it certainly hurts the camaraderie on the board and the teamwork that they have, uh, trying to push good policy forward, right? The idea is to come to a consensus on good, uh, rules and policies that will advance student achievement.

At the end of the day, it is about providing a quality education so we can get their math

Absolutely. It's certainly not politics.

Right. Well, some some board members have lost their way. But what can we do to ensure that rogue school boards can never weaponize military deployment against someone at home again? Because you said e- e- earlier, uh, Mr. Neely, the same thing. How how do we protect our military who are serving that this doesn't happen to them in the future?

Well, I think that state lawmakers could put requirements on boards for their own policies about how many times a member needs to be absent in order to actually be removed that's simp- simply board governance and they could change those policies when they have a member who's on the board who's in the military it's something that the board could do for itself because they set their own rules of policy governance.

But you're in agreement, we shouldn't discriminate on absences whether you're in the military or not, correct?

Absolutely not.

Okay. With that, Mister Chairman, I yield.

General, general idea yields. Uh, now, uh, let me ask you, Mrs. Steyer, just, um, fairly, I think, a fairly straightforward question. Has your husband received similar treatment in any other of his involvement's responsibilities business dealings?

No.

Just with, just with the school board?

Just Just with the school board.

Mm-hmm.

That's telling. That's telling. Um. able to keep his responsibilities to it without reproach from any other entity that he's involved with, uh, I assume including the - his family,

Correct.

who are proud of his service.

Mm-hmm.

Thank you. Um, Mister Butcher, you mentioned the need for state and local policymakers to shift the timing of school board elections. I'm interested in - in that and curious to hear more about the research, uh, on that policy change and what impact the research says it would have on - on both, uh, the people who vote as well as the people who are elected.

Yes, thank you. So, research shows that when you have, uh, on-cycle elections, so when school board elections are the same time as general elections, you have representatives on those boards who are more representative of their constituents. That is, when they are off-cycle, you are more likely to get people voting who are white, older, and higher income, regardless of where they live. So, if we want boards that are more representative of any diverse population, then we should move these elections to on cycle so that they represent the actual individuals who they are voting for.

Yeah. And again, this is a state legislative responsibility. I wanna make it clear that we're not here as a federal panel wanting to take over state elections. That'd be the worst thing we could do. But this is an option that state legislators ought to consider and local, local uh um um constituents ought to be pushing. I personally agree with you. Um and I think for too long uh we've had a set system whether it's for millage elections or anything else that you can pretty well direct how it will happen if you have it in off off timing. So thank you. Um also let me ask you, how would improving educational options for military families make it easier for armed forces to recruit and to and retain talent.

Well, I think there are two parts. One is retaining the members who have already been trained, and the second is better preparing the next generation. So when it comes to retaining members, service members have said in surveys that they consider the quality education options around them, when they decide whether or not to move or to take um advancement in their military service they take into consideration where they are living. Uh, secondly, The research shows, and we have new research now out of Arkansas demonstrating, that children using education savings accounts score higher than the national median in both math and reading as do home school students who are using education savings accounts.

They have skin in the game, right?

That's correct. And so when we have these options that improve student achievement, in fact, thirteen random assignment studies demonstrate positive outcomes for children using private school scholarships, so we can prepare the next generation better.

Thank you. Um, Superintendent Neely, uh, I'm concerned as we've read, both of us have read uh, testimonies about um uh military uh, education personnel, uh, teachers uh, uh, specifically who have been denied pay raises when they've been deployed, missed out on opportunity for enhancement in their, their career goals. What do you think it says about some school districts that they don't see the value in military service.

Well, it's a missed opportunity, as I said earlier, Mister Chairman, it's a missed opportunity and they, they need to be able to see these military members as an asset and not an inconvenience. I, I believe strongly that if we're gonna change public education in America, we've got to have strong leaders at every level. And I believe military lever leaders because of their experience, their focus on intent and and strategy, the values that military members bring uh to our communities, that we need to have those same leaders involved in our schools, leading our schools, and leading our children into their future. And so for those districts that, that don't do that, parents will walk. Parents have a voice, they have a, they have a vote in all of this. And I think that's why you see a decline in many of our traditional districts, with parents leaving and choosing charter schools and micro schools and virtual schools and home schools.

Yeah, yeah, thank you. Um, in my final fifteen, fourteen, thirteen seconds, uh, Miss Dyer, um, what would be your statement, recommendation, encouragement to your community about this situation, not just for your husband, for, but for the future?

I guess I would have to say that, um, it's okay to stand up for what you believe in um i think community is everything um the community a lot of community members showed they had um our backs in this um know that you know you would have the same and that it's alright to say when you see something wrong to go ahead and just be strong and and and stand up to it i guess um it hasn't been easy for me or my husband or our family but I have friends that are in this room right now that have supported us through all this. And uh, that's, that's what, that's all that matters. They can talk the talk, but in the end, wrong is wrong. And I also feel that we are an example for our children. Um, not only is my husband in the education, you know, situation he's in, but so are these other leaders and they just make themselves look bad, I guess.

Well, thank you. It's another example of when you see something, say something. stand up, be part of the community that uh speaks to the issues of importance. So thank you for doing that. Uh, we've come to the end of - of the questioning. Um, normally we have uh closing comments from the uh ranking member of the opposite party. Um, he's not here, so um, as Chairman I guess I can do what I wanna do, and offer closing comments to another member Uh, and I think the other member that's here, um, um, Representative McClain, do you have any closing comments you'd like to make?

I do, thank you. Um, it's unfortunate that none of our democratic colleagues could be here, but um, at the end of the day

They were all invited.

Yes. At the end of the day, I think what we need to focus on is take a negative situation and turn it into something positive. And I think that's what the community of Richmond actually did. So, when people found out that the people of the Richmond community found out, I believe at the next board meeting, people of the community came to the board meeting in support of your husband and your family and in service to this country. And I think they came waving American flags. How fantastic is that? They actually, people actually have pride in the community in which they live in. in America, which is the best country in the world, who people will risk their lives to come over. Isn't it interesting that everybody tries to get into Amer- to America, but not many people are trying to get out. That tells you everything we need. But in this negative situation, the people of Richmond showed up to support your family and say thank you for you and your husband's service, and the service that he did to this community. Let's take pause in that for one minute minute, because let me be clear, the people in the community of Richmond didn't fail Ray Steyer. Two members of, two board members did. Right? Sandra Fortuna and and and Margaret Teleto, they did. But the community rose up and said, " No, not in my town, not under my watch, and not as long as I live in this beautiful public in this beautiful community, and they showed up waving American flags. That's something that needs to be said. And I applaud every member of the Richmond community. And I applaud you, Mrs. Steyer, for doing what you thought was right, to actually let's leave the social issues at home, and let's actually pay attention to our kids, to their reading scores, to their math scores. Let's prepare them with good leaders. Isn't that what the education system is supposed to do? I mean, at the end of the day, Richmond hired a military person, they knew it. And and your husband kept his oath not to, not just to the country in which he loves, but the community and family he loves too. And what I think is so beautiful is the people of Richmond showed up with American flags to support him as well. that speaks volumes. So thank you, Mister Chairman, for taking time out of your schedule to come to my community to highlight, I think, this very positive case. When communities stand together and people stand together, we know what's right. That's a beautiful thing for our community. So thank you all for being here. Appreciate it.

Thank the gentlelady. I wanna say thank you to uh Superintendent Neely. Miss Dyer and uh Mister Butcher for traveling uh, the two of you traveling significant distances to be here. Course, to come to Michigan, it's pure Michigan. You gotta like it. Uh But it was important thing uh that we, I believe, did. I just got back uh from leading a congressional delegation um on education and workforce uh to several countries, but also to Guam, our territory. And seeing the operations, uh, military operations in Guam, which is the number one operation on Guam. Second is tourism. Um, and seeing, uh, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine, uh, facilities on that island. And then discussing DOIA, the, uh, education program for the military and the intense, intense commitment to that on the island for the purposes that it was intended to make sure that military families had an educational system that prepared them for whatever, whatever would take place and to hear that there are multiple deployments, six to eight on average for a military family that means their kids um have the potential of losing ground if we don't call attention to it. Uh that's another key reason. Uh the - the reason we had the title for this hearing today was " Deployed, Not Disqualified, Defending Service Members in Our Schools". Uh, it's a high-sounding, uh, uh, title for a hearing, but it's absolutely necessary to look at when we think of education across the board that supports the American idea which the, um, uh, the tip of the spear is our military and their families, that sacrifice right alongside them. The why of what we had was to examine the obstacles, policies, and attitudes faced by American armed forces members, serving on school boards, in school administration, and in the classroom. I think the majority of our citizens would not think that there's any obstruction that would be there, for a service member or family be involved with the education in their community. I would think most citizens would say It's a no-brainer. These are our people, these are good people, these are patriotic people, and why would we have a problem with that? And yet we find out that in certain places there are. And as we've seen too often, those things develop into a larger problem that becomes an attitude. Uh, and that's not what we wanna see. Uh, education is an absolute importance to this country. We don't have a workforce that is capable to continue to succeed in competition with nat- nations now that aren't just sitting behind and saying, " America's the place." They're lapping at our heels in development, in creativity, in technology. America needs to stay ahead. Why? Because there's no other c- country capable of doing what America does for the world, let alone for ourselves. Um, and to have the ability to have people as you very clearly substantiated, Superintendent Neely, that are of the highest quality, committed to the American ideals, to excellence, not political, bipartisan effort to make sure that education happens. Religion, morality, education being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind. Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. That's the Northwest Ordinance statement. That's the principle of education. And that's where I believe the military can be the tip of the spear and the forefront in many cases to make sure that we don't fall away from the American idea in our education system. We've had some of that. The US Department of Education, founded in nineteen eighty. Three trillion dollars later and we're going downhill. You mentioned the NAEP scores. continue to go down. Because we've gotten away from the foundation of education, which is the family. Parents are the number one educators of their kids. We were the educators of our children. We supplemented that education with teachers in various school settings. We had those choices. That's how it must continue to be. Parents are the educators. They supplement it with other educators, if they feel it necessary. The protection and backbone of this country is our military. Putting those two together, I think assures us of an educational opportunity for the future that is second to none, and will lead the world there t- as well. So thank you. Thank you for taking your time with us today. Those who have come, uh, to this hearing, thank you for showing an interest in what went on here. And uh, Representative McLean, thank you for inviting me here.

Yeah.

Uh, I can't get enough of pure Michigan. Uh.

We'll get you some ice cream.

And uh, and being the biggest troll in the state from the southern, southern tier of counties where my district is from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan,

Yeah.

uh, it's, it's wonderful to be up here in this, this part of the state as well. Uh, there being no other uh, uh, um, responsibilities at this time for this committee and this hearing, I'll call it adjourned.

Thank you. We're on time.