Contact: Will Potter  (202) 822-7823

November 7, 2007 

Students, Educators Win Big in Utah, Kentucky and Virginia

WASHINGTON  – Tuesday's elections were a clean-sweep victory for children and public schools in three battleground contests. Voters in Utah defeated what would have been the nation's first universal voucher plan that would have hurt public schools. Democrat Steve Beshear was elected governor in Kentucky running on a pro-education platform. And Democrats gained control of the Virginia State Senate, which will enable pro-public education Governor Tim Kaine to improve Virginia schools.

The following can be attributed to NEA President Reg Weaver:

“Children are the real winners. These wins put us on the path to ensuring great public schools for every student. It's also a victory for voters who care about education and think that we should promote the classroom basics that we know help children learn. 

“The anti-public school crowd wanted to use Utah's c lassrooms as their ideological testing ground, but Utahans from across the political spectrum said, 'No thanks.' They want investment in public education, not steps to drain schools of the resources they have.

“In Kentucky, educators joined together to mount an unprecedented communications and field operation that helped put a pro-education governor in Frankfort next year. Kentuckians wanted change, and they said loudly and clearly tonight that investment in education is key to better jobs and a stronger Kentucky economy.

“Virginians retired several anti-public education candidates. They replaced them with Senate leadership that understands that education has made Virginia  one of the top-rated states in the nation for business and quality of life.”