National Education Association
March 14, 2020

NEA: Biden “is the partner students and educators need”

WASHINGTON - March 14, 2020 - Lily Eskelsen García, president of the 3-million strong National Education Association, announced today that the largest labor union in the country is recommending Vice President Joe Biden to be the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States.

“The National Education Association proudly recommends Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States. Biden is the tireless advocate for public education and is the partner that students and educators need now in the White House. He understands that as a nation we have a moral responsibility to provide a great neighborhood public school for every student in every ZIP code. As president, he is committed to attracting and retaining the best educators by paying them as the professionals that they are as well as increasing funding for support staff and paraprofessionals. And Biden will fire Betsy DeVos and replace her with an education secretary who comes from a public school classroom and believes that educators must have a seat at the table when crafting education policy,” said Eskelsen García. “For the past two years, the #RedforEd movement has proven how power of the National Education Association and the collective voice of our members to advocate for stronger public schools and opportunity for all students. Now, with so much at stake in this election, educators are determined to use their voice to propel Joe Biden to the White House.”

From the beginning of the 2020 campaign, NEA members have led the recommendation process and have engaged in unprecedented fashion. Biden has championed public education throughout this campaign and beyond. He and Dr. Jill Biden, herself an educator and NEA member, have consistently reached out to NEA members across the country building the broad support among NEA members. He attended all three of NEA’s presidential forums, including in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Texas, as well as sat for a video interview to make his case to educators. Now, NEA members have told us that it is time to get behind Joe Biden, take on Donald Trump and defeat the anti-student, anti-educator, and anti-public school Trump-DeVos agenda.

Nearly a year ago, in the early stages of his campaign, the Biden campaign released comprehensive plans for K-12 and higher education that President Eskelsen García lauded for “pledging to build the best, most innovative schools in the country, especially in low-income communities where the need is the highest.” Biden’s plans to address racial injustice, expand community schools, fully fund IDEA, triple the funds for Title I schools, and invest in children starting from birth, including high-quality, universal pre-kindergarten for all three- and four- year-olds demonstrate his lifetime commitment to improving the lives of working people.

With more than 50 percent of all children attending public schools living in poverty, and the number of homeless children in public schools doubling since before the recession, Biden knows America has swung out of balance. It’s getting harder to get by, let alone get ahead, for working families. Everyone who works should make ends meet, have a say about their futures, and be able to negotiate better wages and benefits to support a family. From his roots growing up in Scranton, Joe understands that and will fight for America’s working families. He believes a collective voice gives educators and public employees the ability to not just maintain a fair workplace but also help them stand up and advocate for their students.

About NEA’s electoral and political footprint

For the past two years, the #RedforEd movement has proven the powerful, collective voice of educators to advocate for stronger public schools and opportunity for all students. In 2018, powered by #RedForEd, more than 1,000 educators were elected to public office.

Educators have engaged in record numbers in the 2020 campaign and have made it clear they are ready to take this activism and organizing all the way to November when educators will play a major role in propelling Joe Biden to the White House. With so much at stake in 2020, educators are determined to use their power to elect Joe Biden. Already, hundreds of thousands of educators and activists have engaged in NEA’s campaign efforts by participating in town halls, forums, digital activism, and attending candidate events, and house parties.

Educators are trusted and powerful voices in every community. NEA represents 1 in 100 Americans, and 1 in 39 voters comes from an NEA household. NEA members, which are 76 percent women, are located in every U.S. congressional district, including key battleground states, which makes them key electoral influencers. Additionally, NEA voters are highly reliable with turnout rates exceeding 90 percent in the most critical battleground states.
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing nearly 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org.

Contact: Eric Jotkoff