A veteran history teacher has decided to take an active stance in helping to fix public education by running for office--and he’s having a 20-year-old former student help him run his campaign.

The partnership between history teacher Rich Nixon and student Tanner Glenn is described as a “rare alliance in politics” by The News & Observer, but the duo is optimistic that their passion and friendship will help them to prevail.

"They know each other well, in the way that only teachers and students do. And though neither has much direct experience with building a political campaign, each believes deeply in the other,” the article said.

Nixon has taught for over 37 years, and Glenn says that Nixon is the one who inspired him to get into politics in the first place.

"Glenn, an activist with the local Democratic party and a volunteer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, said that when he heard Nixon had filed for office, he knew immediately that he wanted to help. It was Nixon’s Advanced Placement U.S. History class that inspired him to become politically active, Glenn said,” according to the article.

Nixon will be running for office in North Carolina, a state that currently has a public education system in desperate need of attention from the legislature.

"North Carolina’s state spending on public education fell 14 percent between 2008 and 2014, according to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The state’s public schools spent about $8,390 per student in 2013, according to federal data, below the national average of $10,700 and among the lowest in the nation.”

In the past several years, the state has ranked consistently low on studies of public education standing and has been ranked one of the worst states for teachers to work in. Nixon undoubtedly has his work cut out for him.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

1/14/2016