TUCK LEADS IN POLL

Race for Schools Chief Heats Up as Tuck Surges Ahead of Incumbent

Los Angeles -- The hotly contested race for state schools chief between embattled incumbent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck just got even more intense as a new poll shows Tuck leading over his opponent despite Torlakson’s more than 3 decades as an elected official. The recently conducted Field Poll in the non-partisan contest for Superintendent of Public Instruction finds likely voters currently divided: 31% in support of educator Marshall Tuck, 28% for incumbent State Schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson, and 41% undecided. “Voters are ready for a change -- and when given a choice will choose the candidate with experience turning around public schools--not the Sacramento insider,” said campaign manager Cynara Lilly. “By standing with his political supporters on Vergara and refusing to debate Marshall on the real issues in this campaign, Torlakson is sending a message to voters that he doesn’t stand with kids. It’s no wonder that undecided voters are starting decide that the status quo isn’t good enough when it comes to kids.” Despite unprecedented outside spending to help Torlakson win the June primary, Tuck forced a runoff by winning 29% and holding Torlakson under 50%. At the end of June, a Pace/USC Rossier Poll showed Torlakson leading 27% to 16%. As the Field Poll demonstrates, Torlakson has hit a ceiling while Tuck’s support is surging. Since the June primary, Tuck has continued his streak of winning the endorsement of every major newspaper in California, adding the support of the San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, and Contra Costa Times. Tuck has been an outspoken supporter of the Vergara case while Torlakson has appealed the ruling, continuing to defend laws that are both unfair to students and unpopular with Californians. According to the PACE/USC Rossier Poll, an overwhelming majority of voters oppose the laws Torlakson is defending in the Vergara case. About Marshall Tuck Marshall Tuck is the only candidate for State Superintendent with a proven record of increasing graduation rates, improving student achievement, and turning around failing schools. Tuck served most recently as founding CEO of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District to operate 17 struggling public elementary, middle, and high schools, serving 15,000 students. Under Tuck’s leadership, the Partnership schools increased four-year graduation rates by over 60%, improved school safety and student attendance, and launched the innovative Parent College, which became a national model for getting parents more involved in their kids’ education. Over the last 5 years, the Partnership schools ranked #1 in academic improvement among school systems with more than 10,000 students. Prior to launching the Partnership, Tuck was President of Green Dot Public Schools, a leading charter school operator based in Los Angeles. Tuck joined Green Dot in 2002, when it had one school, and helped them expand to 10 charter high schools by 2006. With a student-centered approach that empowered principals, teachers, and parents, Green Dot schools substantially outperformed comparable schools’ graduation rates and overall academic achievement. Before devoting his career to helping students, Tuck was an executive at Model N, a successful enterprise software company based in the Bay Area. Prior to that, he worked in finance, and spent a year teaching and doing service work internationally, primarily in Zimbabwe and Thailand. The son of a teacher, Tuck was born in Burlingame, CA and attended parochial elementary school and public middle and high schools. He graduated from UCLA and Harvard Business School. Tuck currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Mae, and their son Mason.