In the Nebraska State Board of Education race this election, there is a concerted effort by the right to “flip” seats, which would swing the board from a fairly balanced membership to a hard right shift, to candidates backed by Moms for Liberty and Protect Nebraska Children. Those candidates are:
District 1: Liz Davids
District 2: Linda Vermooten
District 3: Lisa Schonhoff
District 4: LeDonna White Griffin
Liz Davids, Linda Vermooten and Lisa Schonhoff are right-wing extremist candidates who have signed the Moms for Liberty pledge and are endorsed by them, as well as the county GOPs that have made a hardcore populist shift in the past couple of years. LeDonna White Griffin does not appear to be backed by Moms for Liberty, however she supports public tax dollars for private schools. Voucher schemes aren’t public school-friendly, and she is another bad choice for the State Board of Education.
Before we continue, let us reiterate:
A vote for Liz Davids, Linda Vermooten or Lisa Schonhoff is a vote for Moms for Liberty to control the Nebraska State Board of Education.
SeeingRed has published excellent posts on Liz Davids and her views. Besides being a Moms for Liberty darling, Liz Davids believes public school teachers are groomers. Why, then, is she running for board of education? One of her intentions is to sign on to Kirk Penner’s proposed rule changes that criminalizes teachers and librarians for doing their jobs.
On her website, Lisa Schonhoff refers to herself as a “bold conservative” advocate who wants to “defend traditional values.” She states she wants to “prioritize education over indoctrination,” which tells us she has no clue what’s actually happening in public schools and no respect for teachers. We saw this same language from Terri Cunningham-Swanson during her campaign for Plattsmouth school board, and the subsequent successful recall campaign against her.
In addition to advocating for school vouchers, LaDonna White Griffin is anti-transgender and parrots most Moms for Liberty beliefs in her positions.
We cannot emphasize enough how dangerous Liz Davids, Linda Vermooten, Lisa Schonhoff, and LaDonna White Griffin are for public education, for our teachers and students. However, for those who need to understand this better, we’ll do our best.
Do Not Vote for Linda Vermooten for Nebraska State Board of Education
We are going to devote time to District 2 candidate, Linda Vermooten. Do you remember her? After our series on Terri Cunningham-Swanson, you certainly should. If not, that’s okay. We’re going to refresh your memory and do a deep dive because we think you should get to know her. Linda has been a busy lady during the past year as she:
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- Visited multiple schools in the district to advocate for book banning, such as when she graced Papillion-LaVista schools with a visit on July 10, 2023 to claim there’s pornography in the PPLV school libraries, the same claims she brought to Plattsmouth schools
- Spoke at multiple Nebraska Legislature sessions regarding her stances, like the time she testified in favor of LB441, which would criminalize teachers for “distributing porn”
- Shared the stage with Ed Weniger and Terri Cunningham-Swanson at “Protect Our Kids 2023,” a right-wing event hosted by extremists Roberta Adams (aka Robbie Adams) and Tracee Westergard-Baker (we provide her audio in Part 2)
- Spoke at the public town hall Terri Cunningham-Swanson conducted during her recall about her belief that schools are exposing children to explicit sexual material
- Taught Vacation Bible School last month at the nationally known cult of which she is a member, Lord of Hosts in Omaha
- Attended the Republican National Convention (RNC) as a delegate from Bellevue
If you live in District 2, don’t be surprised if she attends a parade or community event near you. Being seen in the community has been a big part of her campaign, as has hiding her true beliefs.
Let’s start at the very beginning with Linda’s childhood in South Africa, where she grew up at the height of Apartheid as a white person. To understand the environment in which she was raised, it’s important to remember what Apartheid was – racial segregation to ensure white people controlled the land they had colonized.
In addition to that, Linda grew up in an extremely religious household. She started her career first as an RN and then came to the United States as a missionary. She attended Central Bible College – a college specifically intended to train ministers and missionaries – for her BA. She then received her Master of Science in Counseling and a Master of Divinity at the Assemblies of God Seminary. She continued her education at Forest Institute, where she received her PhD in Psychology and then set out to offer Bible-based counseling to individuals.
Looking at her upbringing and education, it’s already clear that Linda is not qualified to provide therapy to anyone who doesn’t fit her strict Christian views. She is not a good choice for any LGTBQIA person, minority, or immigrant seeking therapy or support in their journeys, nor is she a good choice to sit on any public school board. Perhaps she would do well on the board of a private school.
But, as Linda has no children and zero experience in public education, we think she ought to steer clear of putting her nose into the business of parents, students, and teachers altogether. Someone with her biases and lack of understanding of our public schools should not be making decisions for our children.
Tomorrow in Part 2, we’ll wrap this up with a look at Linda’s troubling political and personal views.