Former VP Mike Pence praises school choice expansion in visit to South Bend charter school

SOUTH BEND — Former Vice President Mike Pence touted his strong support for charter schools and public vouchers for private schools during a visit Thursday morning to Career Academy charter school in South Bend.

The visit came together quickly as Pence nears a rumored announcement to enter the 2024 president race.

"The progress this school has made is a great tribute to all of you," said the former vice president, who has supported the growth over the years of the Career and Success Academy network schools.

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Career Academy President Larry Garatoni said Pence requested the visit and school leaders jumped at the chance to introduce students to the former second-in-command.

Pence spent about an hour touring Career Academy middle and high school facilities, including a new makerspace funded, in part, by a state grant for experiential learning.

"This is a very powerful message," Pence said as he leaned over the shoulder of eighth-grader Elder Rapalo, who modeled a recent 3D-printed replica of the gates of Auschwitz to accompany his recent studies of the Holocaust.

Pence also visited with welding, robotics and precision machining students before sitting for a half-hour Q&A with high school students. Moderators Gabby Terrell and Rocio Alvarez , both Career Academy seniors, were quick to allude to the past vice president's suspected leadership aspirations.

"If you do plan on running for president next year, what are your plans to improve the lives of minorities in America?" Terrell asked in the team's first question.

"Well, I don't have anything to announce today, Gabby," Pence said. "Whatever the future holds for me and my family, I'm always going to work to open doors to the American dream to every American regardless of race or creed or color."

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Speculation has swirled that the former vice president is gearing up to challenge former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who submitted his official paperwork Wednesday, for the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2024.

Several other Republicans — including former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — have also announced their intention to run. Pence told CBS’ Face the Nation last month that if he had an announcement to make, he’d do so well before June.

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Garatoni told The Tribune that he’s hosted fundraisers for Pence’s campaigns for governor and vice president. The purpose of Thursday’s visit, however, was not to focus on politics, but instead on the school and students, Garatoni said.

"It kind of reduces some of the mystique of somebody in higher office, especially the vice president of the United States," the Career Academy founder said. "When they see that he's a really down-to-earth person and has a lot of great values and experience, (the students) can relate to the fact that it's possible for them to do that."

Pence’s support of charter education traces back to his days as governor when he frequently butted heads with then-Indiana school superintendent Glenda Ritz. As governor, he attended school choice rallies and advocated for state funding boosts for Indiana charter schools.

He visited Career Academy's sister school, Success Academy, in 2016 for its ribbon cuttings along with then-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Career Academy Marketing Director Rob Koehler said the charter network would like to invite Pence back for the openings of its next two schools. The Portage School of Leaders and Success Academy at Boys & Girls Club are both expected to open this fall for the coming school year.

Pence praises advancement of school choice

Though he has not officially announced his candidacy, Pence's talk with students Thursday echoed familiar facets of past stump speeches, including the his frequent refrain: "I'm Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order."

His visit to a charter school also bolsters education as a growing campaign issue. At Career Academy on Thursday, Pence was quick to highlight his records of championing conservative positions on education reform, like support for charter schools and state-funded scholarships for private school education.

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He's also in recent appearances leant his voice to the growing "culture war" debate consuming public schools across the country. At a “parents rights” rally this February, Pence urged supporters to fight back against "radical gender ideology" permeating schools.

The “culture war” rhetoric, driven predominantly by conservatives, has become a divisive campaign issue nationally that educators say serves little purpose other than to push political agendas and distract from classroom learning. Pence, however, steered clear of those topics in South Bend.

He reminisced about his support for charter schools as Indiana governor and applauded the state for its recent expansion of school choice programs, allowing families making more than $200,000 a year to receive state funding for a private school education.

The former vice president also spoke of reducing the national debt, instituting social security and Medicare reform, and increasing access to career and technical education opportunities — a priority Pence set for the state back in his days as governor. He also offered a bit of advice to students interested in pursuing public office one day.

"Keep your arms and legs in the ride at all times," Pence said. "You never know where it's gonna lead."

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter:@carleylanich.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mike Pence praises school choice in visit to South Bend's Career Academy