2020 Presidential Hopefuls Court Educators at NEA Representative Assembly
NEA President Lily Eskselsen García gets ready to introduce the first candidate at the #StrongPublicSchools presidential forum.
“Election 2020 starts right here, right now!” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García announced to the almost 7,000 delegates at the NEA Representative Assembly on Friday.
Waiting backstage at the George E. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, were 10 presidential hopefuls ready to make their case to educators for the first ever #StrongPublicSchools Presidential Forum. Across the nation, educators are ready to build on the momentum of the #RedforEd movement and play a powerful role in the 2020 campaign.
For three hours, Eskelsen Garcìa moderated the one-on-one discussions with former Vice President Joe Biden, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Kamala Harris, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tim Ryan, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
The forum, Eskeslen García explained to the delegates, was not intended to promoting any specific candidate.
“We are promoting our agenda – what we want for our children, our profession and for our communities.”
Bernie Sanders and NEA President Lily Eskelsen García during the #StrongPublicSchools Presidential Forum.
The questions came from NEA members and everything was on the table – education funding, educator pay, school privatization, equity, gun safety, student debt, and, of course, Betsy DeVos.
“What I love about this format is that it’s not just because we will be hearing from the candidates,” Eskelsen García said as the forum began. “It’s because they will be listening to you.”
Reinvesting in Education
Candidates emphatically supported increased federal funding for public education—for infrastructure repairs; for wrap-around services, like mental health counselors and school psychologists; for technology; for after-school programs; for universal CONTINUE READING: 2020 Presidential Hopefuls Court Educators at NEA Representative Assembly - NEA Today