Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)

Employee Free Choice Act

Bennet has come under criticism for his stance on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), and that's because he has not taken one. For months he has been one of the few Democrats who refuse to side with the party and pass the bill, which would make it easier for employees to unionize. But he also has not said he's against the measure as he tries to toe-the-line with labor and business constituents.

In April 2009, Bennet tried to deflect EFCA discussion by trying to convince voters that health care should not be stopped because labor and business have a disagreement over the status of EFCA. "Temperatures are running high on both sides of this. We need to make sure that no matter how this turns out ... that we've got all hands on deck working on health-care reform because this is the year to get that done," Bennet said.

Eight months into his term, Bennet has yet to take a stance on EFCA.

Education

When Bennet became Denver school superintendent, he faced a daunting task. Denver's school system confronted common urban issues, including the fact that two-thirds of the district qualified for federal meal benefits and 20 percent of it was learning English as a second language. With 75 percent of the district identifying itself as Latino or black, any drastic changes could leave Bennet open to charges of racial insensitivity.

"If anything, it would end a political career before it starts," said former Ohio Gov. Celeste, his former boss and now president of Colorado College, in 2005.

But Bennet shook off the political minefields, saying, "In the end it's less about the office you hold than what you can accomplish."

He acted quickly. A few months into the job, he released an 83-page report titled the 'Denver Plan' to overhaul the school district. It focused on curriculum changes, after-school programs and even nutrition. It not only pointed out problems with the district, but outlined how to repair them. For example, if non-English speaking students didn't have enough time to actually learn the language, the plan called for 45 minutes more per day dedicated to reading comprehension. If a student struggled in math, he or she could use an extra subject slot to focus more on the problem area.

Manual High School

But early accolades for Bennet's work soon turned to major controversy when he targeted for closure Manual High, a school with high minority attendance and one of the state school system's biggest failures. Ninety percent of Manual students failed state writing tests and 97 percent failed state math tests. Only one-out-of-five freshman stayed long enough to graduate, despite national help from organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bennet closed the school in 2006 for one year, promising when it re-opened it would be 'premiere.' In 2007, Bennet kept his promise to re-open Manual, personally going door-to-door in order to sway students to return.

By 2008, some of the same critics who opposed the shutdown praised Bennet for his decisiveness. School scores in Denver are still not equal to state averages, but 2008's School Accountability Report showed that 140 of 164 Denver school programs were improving at the same pace or faster than state averages. The school district's budget was balanced without cutting programs, and enrollment grew to levels not reached in three decades. The turnaround nearly earned Bennet a nod as Obama's secretary of education. When Bennet found out he didn't get the nod, he was in a hall outside a DPS board meeting. He yelled: "I'm not going to Washington!"

He spoke too soon.

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