This story was originally published by Public News Service.
By Suzanne Potter, producer
Public News Service
July 23, 2024
After a historic weekend, politics turned out to be the major topic Monday at the national convention of more than 3,500 teachers union members.
The American Federation of Teachers, which is holding its biennial conference in Houston, is one of the groups to endorsed Kamala Harris for President.
Randi Weingarten, president of the federation, praised the Biden/Harris administration’s commitment to public education, while accusing Republicans of undermining workers’ rights and attacking academic freedom.
“When the history books are written about this moment, let them record that we the people united, mobilized, and voted down this existential threat to democracy and freedom,” Weingarten stated.
Conservatives have argued public employee unions are too powerful.Weingarten criticized the Trump administration’s support of school vouchers, arguing they largely help wealthy families pay for private or religious schools, diverting funds from public education.
The union leader also slammed efforts across the country to ban controversial books in school libraries and restrict teaching on history, social justice and climate change.
“They fear what we do: The teaching of reason, of critical thinking, of honest history, of pluralism,” Weingarten asserted. “Because their brand of greed, of power, of privilege cannot survive in a democracy of diverse, educated citizens.”
Cassondra Curiel, a middle school English teacher and president of the United Educators of San Francisco, believes the administrations of Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden have improved education funding in recent years, but said much more needs to be done.
“Pre-COVID, California was the 46th funded public education system in the country and post-COVID, we’ve now risen to 36th,” Curiel pointed out. “As the fifth-largest economy in the world, we really have a moral obligation to fund public education like we mean it.”
Leaders at the conference also called for stricter gun laws, to reduce the likelihood of school shootings going forward.
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