National Education Association
endorses John Kerry
The National Education Association, the nation's largest union with 2.7 million members, has endorsed John Kerry for president.
Among the issues the organizations cited for deciding not to endorse President Bush were:
Persistent underfunding of education programs. From Misleader.org: “The current reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), raises high expectations for achievement and imposes stringent measures of accountability on students, teachers, and schools. Yet it fell short of full funding by more than $32 billion in 2003. Eight other federal education programs serving Americans from preschool age through adulthood had funding gaps totaling almost $49 billion for 2003. ESEA/NCLB received less than half of its full funding in 2003. Given current trends, it appears likely to remain drastically underfunded.”
Burdening local school districts. Center for American Progress: “Data detailing cuts at the local level shows over 7,000 school districts -- not just in 11 states but across the nation -- will face significant cuts in federal funds to help disadvantaged kids in reading, math, and other subjects. Nearly half of all school districts and millions of children will be affected. The Bush administration's persistent underfunding of federal education programs is largely responsible for the cuts.”
Attempts to dismantle Head Start. From Shelley Waters Boots and Danielle Ewen of the Children's Defense Fund: “The Head Start program, begun 38 years ago, takes a comprehensive approach to helping the nation's poorest children and families. The program has provided high-quality early education, health care, nutrition, and social services to more than 20 million children, as well as support to their families. President Bush's proposal for Head Start would allow the federal government to abandon its promise to truly give children a head start. The administration wants to hand the program over to the states, without federal standards for quality, without the requirements of comprehensive services, and without the funds needed to ensure that our must vulnerable children enter school ready to learn.”
Broken promises on higher education. From the SEIU: “President Bush broke his campaign promise to increase college scholarships for students from working families. During the 2000 campaign, President Bush said he would raise the Pell Grant college scholarship to as much as $5,100 for college freshmen. Today, the maximum Pell Grant remains frozen at $4,050, despite substantial increases in college tuition that have occurred during President Bush's term in office.”
Treatment of military children. From the Associated Press: “As the country prepared for a war with Iraq , the Bush administration planned to cut education funding for hundreds of thousands of children in military families. The government's proposal would eliminate ‘federal impact aid' provided since 1950 to school districts for military children who live in homes off base, and for children of parents who work as civilians on military bases but live elsewhere. The cuts, which would save $125 million annually, would affect about 900,000 children nationwide and 63 percent of children in military families, according to the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools. Several local districts would lose a significant amount of funding and would have to cut staff. President Bush's proposal is pending a decision from Congress. Educators are questioning the timing of it, saying it is wrong to cut school funding for military children as their parents prepare to go to war.”
Education Secretary Rod Paige called the National Education Association a “terrorist organization,” arguing that the country's largest teachers union often acts “at odds with the wishes of rank-and-file teachers regarding school standards and accountability.”
