Dear Lawmakers, Please Hire Teachers as Education Aides – Not TFA Alumni
Dear freshmen lawmakers,
We did it!
After a fiercely contested election, we have finally begun to turn the tide back toward progressive politics.
Midterms usually are sparsely attended, but this year we had an unprecedented turnout. A total of 23 states had double-digit percentage-point increases compared with their 1982-2014 midterm election averages.
And the result is one of the largest and most diverse groups of freshman Congresspeople ever!
We got rid of a ton of incumbents – 104 lawmakers won’t be returning to Washington, DC, in January, making this the third-highest turnover since 1974.
And those taking their place will be largely female. Out of 256 women who ran for U.S. House or Senate seats, 114 have won so far (Some races are still too close to call), according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. That makes the 116th Congress the largest class of female lawmakers ever.
Moreover, this incoming group will be incredibly diverse.
We have Jahana Hayes, a nationally-recognized teacher, who will be the first Black Congresswoman from Connecticut. Ayanna Presley, the first black Congresswoman from Massachusetts.
Angie Craig will be the first out LGBTQ Congresswoman from Minnesota. Chris Pappas, the first openly gay Congressman from New Hampshire.
Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland from Kansas and New Mexico will be the first Native Continue reading: Dear Lawmakers, Please Hire Teachers as Education Aides – Not TFA Alumni | gadflyonthewallblog