WASHINGTON (AP) – Jeb Bush is expected to avoid presidential politics when he discusses education at a national summit, but his remarks will likely stoke speculation about a potential campaign in 2016.
The former Florida governor is making his first major speech since Republicans scored sweeping victories in the midterm elections. He is set to deliver the opening address Thursday at his education foundation’s annual gathering in Washington.
Bush has been one of the country’s most vocal supporters of academic standards known as Common Core, which have emerged as a political flashpoint for many conservatives. A majority of states have adopted the standards, which also have been embraced by the Obama administration.
While the reading and math benchmarks were developed by a bipartisan group of governors and superintendents, the Obama administration later promoted them as a way to win federal education grants. For that reason, many Republican activists – and several potential GOP presidential candidates – have come to view them as federal intrusion into local classrooms.
Bush, however, has not flinched, defending the higher academic standards and often challenging critics to offer solutions. “Criticisms and conspiracy theories are easy attention grabbers,” he told attendees at last year’s summit. “Solutions are hard work. Be a problem solver.”