Nation's Mayors Give NEA President
Standing Ovation at Annual Conference

Reg Weaver Calls Mayors 'Allies and Advocates' for Public Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a rousing speech on Sunday (June 12) before mayors of the nation's largest cities, National Education Association (NEA) President Reg Weaver identified the challenges facing public education -- chief among them the faulty implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act -- and asked the elected leaders to join with NEA in a partnership to create great public schools for every child, in every city, in America.

"We all know that the strength, vitality and survival of your cities depend on the strength, vitality and survival of our nation's public education system," Weaver said to attendees at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, now underway in Chicago.
 
In a speech interrupted by applause, Weaver labeled No Child Left Behind "a cruel hoax on America's children" and told the group that no city should be "forced to spend money we don't have, on programs we don't need, to get test results that don't matter."

Citing the law's one-size-fits-all policy that fails to account for children's different experiences and abilities, Weaver called upon the mayors, as the keepers of the infrastructures of cities all across this nation, to not only recognize public schools as part of that infrastructure but to remain committed to making them as strong as they can be.

To a standing ovation, Weaver closed by urging the mayors to be leaders in their cities and on Capitol Hill as ambassadors for public education. "You have a critical role to play," Weaver said. "Let's stand together in the effort to make every public school great so that we can truly leave no child behind."

A 30-year classroom veteran, Weaver is one of the country's foremost education leaders. He took office as head of the nation's largest professional employee organization on Sept. 1, 2002.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The primary roles of the Conference of Mayors include strengthening federal-city relationships and ensuring that federal policy meets urban needs.

June 13, 2005

CONTACT:
Melinda Anderson   (202) 822-7230

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.