Cover Story
Helping Kids at the Ballot Box

How one NEA member in California is rousting up votes to safeguard her classroom

California NEA member Sandi Ortiz Ishii tells her colleagues that politics isn't just a distant abstraction. "It affects you right in your life and your classroom," Ishii says.

She's living proof.

A teacher of gifted and talented students, and the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Ishii has made the building of school programs that challenge Hispanic students her personal mission.

But Ishii knows full well that she'll never realize this mission by herself. Her work in Orange County's Garden Grove school district receives vital funding from federal Jacob K. Javits grants.

That's why Ishii was so appalled, back in the '90s, when her own member of Congress, ultra-conservative Robert Dornan, opposed funding for the Javits program, along with the entire federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In fact, Dornan had an education voting record, as tracked by NEA's legislative office, of zero.

So when a progressive challenger surfaced in 1996, a strong candidate named Loretta Sanchez, Sandi Ishii was ready to get politically involved--and she has stayed involved ever since.

This fall, all over the country, NEA members like Sandi Ishii are pounding the pavement and picking up phones to help kids and public schools. They're working to elect a new Congress that'll support quality public education for all students.

The current Congress has failed to provide that support. By relatively narrow margins, Congress has opposed Clinton Administration efforts to reduce class size, modernize school buildings, and aid public education on many other fronts.

Will the next Congress give public schools the support they need? That'll be determined this November, and Ishii, for one, is convinced that the political activism of individual NEA members like herself can indeed affect who gets elected.

In 1996, Ishii and her husband, Steve, put their volunteer efforts into both congressional and state legislative races. They phoned and leafleted. They button-holed friends. They called strangers.

"We gave an awful lot because we knew it could make a difference," says Ishii.

When the votes were counted, Loretta Sanchez had defeated Bob Dornan by the slimmest of margins. But their choice for the California Assembly, Lou Corea, suffered a narrow defeat.

In the next election, Sandi and Steve Ishii worked even harder. Their efforts helped bury Dornan's comeback bid in a Sanchez landslide--and also elected the pro-public education Corea.

This year, Sandi Ishii is taking nothing for granted. She's making the time to explain to neighbors why this election matters so much to children.

The connection between politics and kids is clear to Ishii. She knows, for example, what a big difference it makes to have small classes. She usually teaches classes of 30 students, but two years ago, she had just 20, thanks to a series of political decisions that cut class size in the primary grades.

"It was so wonderful, an incredible thing!" she recalls. "I got to know the kids and their learning needs so much quicker and better."

Vice President Gore's proposal to reduce class size--by hiring more teachers--is one of the federal initiatives whose fate will be decided on Election Day, says NEA's Director of Government Relations, Mary Elizabeth Teasley.

Vice President Gore has pledged to continue and expand that class size reduction drive if he's elected President, but he'll need the support of a pro-public education Congress.

The future of Sandi Ishii's favorite federal aid effort for local schools, the Javits program, also hinges on what happens this November.

The Javits program currently offers three-year grants of up to $215,000 that promote innovative teaching strategies and fund professional development for staff.

These grants, Ishii believes, can improve many children's lives, if the federal funding continues.

"That," she says, "is the big if."

--Alain Jehlen

'Go Barb!'

In Vermont, an education support staffer fights for a friend of public schools

In rural northern Vermont, almost as far from Southern California as you can go in the United States, education support staffer Cheryl Currier is soldiering in a state legislative campaign that's no less heated than the congressional campaign battles that so actively involve NEA members like Sandi Ortiz Ishii.

Currier is organizing educator support for a crusading state legislator named Barbara Postman, whose son attended the high school where Currier coordinates volunteers, advises students, coaches cheerleaders, and carries out a host of other duties.

"Long before she was in politics,"says Currier, "I knew Barbara as a parent volunteer."

So two years ago, when Postman decided to run for the state legislature and filled out her Vermont-NEA candidate questionnaire, Currier wasn't surprised that all Postman's answers were pro-public education.

The local Vermont-NEA political action committee, which Currier chairs, printed a brochure comparing the candidates' positions, then encouraged members to read the comparison--and vote. They did, helping Postman to victory, by just 154 votes, over an incumbent with a zero education voting record. Educators made the difference.

Ever since then, as a state legislator, Postman has made the difference for educators, especially low-paid support staff. She led the campaign for creating a Vermont "Livable Wage" at $10.37 an hour. Many support staffers--including Currier--currently make less than that.

"We have people in Vermont who are supporting children, working two, three, even four jobs," says Currier. "Watching her lead this fight, I thought, 'Go Barb!' People should be able to afford to live."

By documenting the real cost of living, Postman's Livable Wage campaign helped NEA locals in Vermont win significant raises. In one local community, base pay will go from $6.50 an hour to $9.50 in two years.

For the election this fall, Cheryl Currier is working harder than ever-- because Postman has been targeted by conservative groups.

A defeat for Postman and other progressive legislators would threaten Vermont's landmark new school funding law, passed in 1997.

The idea behind the law: School funding should not depend on local property value. If a low-wealth district is willing to raise taxes to spend more on schools, the state adds what amounts to matching funds.

The result? A dollar added to the tax rate brings in the same money per pupil anywhere in Vermont. Property-poor districts are now approving budgets that never would have passed before. Roofs are being fixed, teachers hired, new books bought.

Cheryl Currier is defending the school funding law and the Livable Wage by helping Barbara Postman.

"I consider myself apolitical," Currier says. "I just want to support people who believe in public education, who want equity and quality for all children."

Don't Have Much Time...

... to help elect friends of education this November? In just 60 minutes, you could send a bunch of postcards to your friends and relatives, urging them to support your candidate.

In just 15 minutes, you could stop at a campaign headquarters and pick up a bumper sticker for your car.

In just one minute, you could remind someone to vote!

Q & A
At Home on the Campaign Trail

Throughout his Presidential cam-paign, Al Gore has been spending evenings at the homes of teachers, then going to their schools the next day. His first visit, earlier this year, was with NEA member Claudia Amboyer, a sixth grade language arts and social studies teacher at Middle School North in L'Anse Creuse, Michigan, and her husband, Don.

Q: How long in advance did you know Al Gore wanted to visit?
About 24 hours. The principal called around 9:30 the night before and said, "I have a favor to ask." I think he picked me because my name starts with an A, and he started at the top of the list. I wasn't active in politics at all.

He put a secret service agent on the phone who said, "I hope you're not in your pajamas, because I'll be there in half an hour."

Q: How did you prepare for the visit?
We vacuumed--that was about all we had time for. I picked up flowers for his bedroom, and found out what he liked for breakfast from a Secret Ser-vice person. We had had company recently, so we were a little prepared.

Q: What was it like when Gore arrived?
He handed his jacket to a Secret Service agent, said, "See you in the morning," and walked in. The Secret Service stayed outside in a Winnebago in the driveway.

It was a little strained at first, but he very quickly put us at ease. We talked about school and the importance of parent involvement. I showed him the Web site I use to communicate with parents.

He was kind of riveting. You felt he was totally interested in just you and what you were saying--completely sincere. I wish everybody could see that side of him--warm, friendly, interested.

It was very comfortable. But every once in a while I would think, "I can't believe the vice president is sitting in my family room talking to me."

We had decaf coffee and chocolate cake. We went to bed around 12:15.

Q: How was breakfast?
I got up at 5:30 and made bacon and scrambled eggs. He was up at 6. In the limo on the way to school, he talked by phone with Mrs. Gore. I didn't know who he was talking to until he handed me the phone. She said, "Thank you for taking good care of him."

Al Gore's Plan for America's Schools

New and Modern Classrooms
For students to learn, schools must be well equipped and able to accommodate smaller class sizes. To make sure this happens, Al Gore has led the fight to pass the Administration's school modernization initiative. This proposal would generate $25 billion to help states and local school districts build more public schools.

Universal Pre-School
Al Gore believes we need to do more to help children get ready to learn. He has proposed investing billions of dollars from the federal budget surplus to fund universal pre-school for all children over the next 10 years. Because these pre-school years are critical to a child's later learning, Gore's program would make public pre-school available to every child beginning at age three.

More Teachers
Al Gore supports continuing America's program to add 100,000 new teachers. He understands that we need to focus on reducing class sizes in the earliest grades so our children are prepared to learn. But Gore wants to do more. As President, he will create the 21st Century Teacher Corps, providing $10,000 bonuses to attract qualified people to the teaching profession.

No Private School Vouchers... Ever
Gore strongly opposes using any federal money for private school vouchers. In fact, he has led the fight to use public funds exclusively for public schools. Gore believes we should fix failing schools and help them to achieve, not abandon them by cutting out essential funding.

Better Paid Teachers
Gore's proposal to provide federal support for higher teacher salaries is unprecedented. He understands that if we want to attract and retain the most talented teachers, we must pay them salaries that compete with other professions.