PLEASE FORWARD TO CA VOTERS ASAP!
I’m posting this for the Tony Thurmond campaign. Please forward to all California voters.
The November 6th election is just five weeks away, mail in ballots are coming soon or may have already arrived, and I am asking you to vote for Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
This race is important. With all the news coverage of the federal midterm elections, no one seems to be talking about California’s children. Under California’s Constitution the Superintendent directs all functions of the Department of Education, executes policies set by the California State Board of Education, and also heads and chairs that board. With these powers and mandated focus on California’s school children, the Superintendent is their most important advocate. Thurmond’s opponent is being mightily supported by charter school forces and corporate PACs, once again fueling the polarization that keeps people arguing about everything except how our kids—ALL of them, not just some of them—can be assured of the education they deserve.
I’m supporting Assembly member Thurmond because he’s the right candidate for this job.
Raised by relatives after losing his parents at a young age, public schools gave Tony a future out of poverty. He has spent his professional life uplifting California’s most vulnerable children as a social worker and advocate for at risk children, and has used his electoral platform to shift billions of dollars into education programs.
His statewide and local endorsements include:
· California Democratic Party
· The California Teachers Association
· The California Federation of Teachers
· California Labor Federation
· California Nurses Association
· Service Employees International Union
· Current State Superintendent Tom Torlakson
· Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
· Equality California
· Sierra Club
· California League of Conservation Voters
· Sen. Kamala Harris
· House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
· Congresswoman Barbara Lee
· Congresswoman Maxine Waters
· Former State Superintendents Delaine Eastin and
Jack O’Connell
· Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
· Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins
· San Francisco Mayor London Breed
· Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
· Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl
· Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson
· San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Malia Cohen
Tony Thurmond has the strongest record supporting all children in California, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the State Assembly, he co-authored the bill “Healthcare for All Kids” that ensured healthcare for undocumented children. He also co-authored Assembly Bill 2514 which provides funding for preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and K-12 schools to expand bilingual language emersion programs. Current California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson penned this Sac Bee op-ed which mention’s the Member’s advocacy for bilingual ed. The Member also recently penned an Op-Ed in Latino Edge Magazine talking about the importance of having Latino leadership in California’s schools.
Assembly member Thurmond led the effort to expand California’s free lunch program to 400,000 students with assembly bill 1502. Foster children now have more funding to attend college with the Chafee grant because of Assembly Bill 3089 which Tony authored. MediCal and early childhood education funding each increased by $1 billion with an additional $300 million to serve people with developmental disabilities.
Tony does not just believe in moving money out of our prison system and into schools, he has done it. In authoring assembly bill 1014, the Member moved $35 million dollars from jails and into schools, specifically $1.5 million to Los Angeles Unified School District.
Tony also partnered with Equality California to carry Assembly Bill 2153 which directs resources to provide our state’s teachers and school staff with the tools and training they need to support their LGBTQ students. Additionally, they, along with other legislators, fought back against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s refusal to investigate at least five civil rights complaints filed by transgender students.
If you’d like to learn more about Tony, the race, or donate to help Tony in the last push before the election, go to www.tonythurmond.com
But most importantly, vote for (and tell your friends and family to vote for)
Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. This race will have a direct impact on our children’s education. It’s crucial we make the right choice.
A Plan to Improve California's Public Schools
Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction -https://www.tonythurmond.com/
Big Education Ape: Why Electing Tony Thurmond as Superintendent of Public Instruction Is the Most Important Race in California - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/why-electing-tony-thurmond-as.html
Big Education Ape: The truth about money in public education politics - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-truth-about-money-in-public.html
Big Education Ape: Tony Thurmond for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction - NPE Action - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/tony-thurmond-for-california-state.html
