NEA Members Promote Education at Presidential Debates

NEA members were on hand to promote public education as a national priority as the Democratic and Republican presidential contenders debated the issues in New Hampshire. The Democrats debated on Sunday, June 3, and Republicans the following Tuesday.

The NEA expressed disappointment  that no questions about the future of public education were posed to the Democratic candidates during the two-hour nationally televised event. The Republican debate also failed to generate a discussion of education.

NEA will continue to work to get the candidates on record with their positions on education -- especially on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act -- as early in the campaign as possible. Congress is currently considering reauthorization of NCLB, which is the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Michelle Obama and Kim Anderson of the NEA in New Hampshire.

An "open letter" to the candidates published Sunday, June 3 as a full-page ad in the influential Union Leader newspaper declares, "It's time to hear from you. Not a single debate by presidential candidates -- Democrat or Republican -- has addressed public schools in any meaningful way." NEA New Hampshire paid for the ad.

(Read the complete "open letter" and view the ad. )

Four of the Democratic candidates sit on Congressional committees that will soon vote on the reauthorization of NCLB. Five of the announced Republican candidates serve in Congress and will be asked to vote on NCLB reauthorization when the bill reaches the floor of their respective houses.

The declared candidates for the Democratic nomination include Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

Declared Republican candidates include Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), former Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), former Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin.