Contact: Will Potter (202) 822-7823

September 5, 2008

McCain continues attacking teachers instead of
delivering an education plan that works

WASHINGTON-Senator John McCain accepted the Republican nomination for president on Thursday and, in his acceptance speech, made clear that he is completely out of touch with the needs of working families, as well as being completely out of touch with the needs of educators and students.

The following can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:

"John McCain could have used his acceptance speech to outline a plan for providing schools with the support and resources they need. He could have used his acceptance speech to respect the tireless work of educators and parents. He could have used his acceptance speech to put forward a bold new education policy. Instead, he chose to vilify educators and praise school voucher schemes. He stubbornly refuses to leave the Bush administration's education failures behind.

"In contrast, Senator Barack Obama understands that investing in public schools is the first step in rebuilding America's economy and preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century. He wants to make a college education affordable for every American, he supports new opportunities for early childhood education, and he opposes diverting public tax dollars from public schools to support private and religious schools. And unlike McCain, he wants to work with educators, not against them."

# # #

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.