7 Great Things that Happened in 2019, thanks to public education activism
By Amanda Menas
After more than a decade of deep education cuts and lagging teacher salaries, a renewed commitment to public schools is emerging because of educator advocacy and voter turnout. At #RedforEd rallies, phonebanks, and in voting booths, educators spoke up for students and public schools, making sure their legislators listened to their concerns. In 2019, educators have a lot to show for their efforts.
1. Educators rallied behind #RedForEd across the country
Indiana educators rallied for higher pay, increased school funding, and to highlight the growing teacher shortage. North and South Carolina educators rallied to demand legislators reinvest in their schools and to protest the chronic underfunding. Educators from Maryland and Texas showed up in the thousands to talk about below national average teacher salaries and per pupil funding, advocating for legislation in Maryland that would add $325 million in new education spending for teacher salaries, community schools, special education and pre-K, plus a commitment to add $750 million in fiscal year 2021. In Colorado, the educators took to the streets for fair, livable pay. Virginia educators vowed to hold legislators accountable for funding. Minnesota, Massachusetts, California, and Nevada also saw wins following rallies.
The state that saw the most drastic funding turnaround, however, is Oregon, which saw a historic funding victory. In August, Gov. Kate Brown signed into law the Student Success Act, a corporate tax program that invests an additional $2 billion for public education.
2. Educators took on DeVos to protect online college students– AND WON
Thanks to the determination of NEA and its allies, a federal court ordered Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to implement much-needed protections for U.S. students in online college programs.The DeVos administration’s defeat in federal court—the latest in a string of judicial strikeouts—marks another blast by NEA and its partners to DeVos’ anti-public education, pro-deregulation agenda.
This particular defeat stems from a lawsuit filed by three California educators with the support of NEA, the California Teachers Association (CTA), and the National Student Legal Defense Network (NSLDN). The plaintiffs pointed to DeVos’ rollback of federal protections for online students, specifically the “state authorization rule” that requires the Department of Education to share information with students about online higher education programs.
3. Public education champions won critical elections in 2019
Across the country, educators organized grassroots events, empowered members, and ran targeted member-to-member digital campaigns to highlight the important education issues in the 2019 elections. In Kentucky, educators worked hard to help elect Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman as the state’s next Governor and Lt. Governor. Kentucky’s students and public schools were central to their campaign, and Beshear acknowledged educators’ hard work in his victory speech. Educators re-elected Gov. John Bel Edwards, who proved to be a partner to students, educators, and public schools in Louisiana.
NEA President Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa shared the news of Virginia electing a pro-public education legislative majority, “Across the commonwealth, voters understood that the future of Virginia’s public schools was on the ballot. By electing public school champions, Virginia’s voters spoke loudly in demanding that every student has the opportunity to attend a quality public school and that CONTINUE READING: 7 Great Things that Happened in 2019, thanks to public education activism - Education Votes
