Talarico’s Classroom Claim Mirrors Obama’s 2012 Story
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s claim about overcrowded classrooms echoes a story once told by Barack Obama.
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A claim by Democrat Texas Senate candidate James Talarico about overcrowded classrooms has drawn comparisons to a story once told by former President Barack Obama. Talarico’s assertion that he had 45 students in one classroom with no desks has been scrutinized, with no evidence backing it up. The New York Times reported that school records and teachers from the time do not support his claim.
Similarity to Obama’s 2012 Story
Talarico’s story mirrors one Obama told in 2012 during a campaign rally in Las Vegas. Obama mentioned a teacher, Claritssa, who had 45 students in a class with insufficient desks, leading some students to sit on the floor. The story was part of Obama’s narrative about educational challenges, which Talarico has now echoed.
RNC Research Points Out the Parallels
The Republican National Committee (RNC) highlighted the similarity, sharing a clip of Obama’s rally on social media. Despite the parallels, Talarico’s campaign website still promotes the claim about his overcrowded classroom, with students forced to sit on air conditioning units.
Class Size Records and Teacher Testimonies
Class-size records from the time show that the maximum number of students assigned to Talarico was 30. Teachers who worked with him also recall no instances of students sitting on air conditioning units. The San Antonio Independent School District’s Board of Trustees closed down Talarico’s school after years of poor academic results, attributing the closure to a systematic attack on public education rather than the school’s performance.
Political Context and School Closure
Talarico taught at the school from 2011 to 2013 before his time in the Texas legislature. He blamed the school’s closure on a broader systemic issue, rather than its academic record. The closure came after three consecutive years of unacceptable ratings, raising questions about the validity of his claims and the actual state of the school.
Source: Daily Wire
