100 signatures reached
To: The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and all its members
The AFT should canvass all members before choosing their candidate. Bernie Sanders is our pick!
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) should have given its professional educator members the opportunity to cast a vote for their preferred candidate for President. We believe that Bernie Sanders should be the candidate that we support as an organization.
Why is this important?
An endorsement of a large group necessitates an election by its members! The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) supports Joe Biden for president, says spokesperson Randi Weingarten. But, we professional educators were not asked our opinion and we should have been! The undersigned AFT teachers support Bernie Sanders for President and we think the AFT should do the same because Bernie's platform is the best for our students, from the young child through the college-bound student.
There is no question or doubt that Bernie's platform for education from the start is superior and calls on us to make the playing field equitable and education attainable for all. Here is why:
Bernie's platform for elementary and secondary school education:
• Provide equitable funding for public schools
• Give teachers a much-deserved raise by setting a starting salary for teachers at no less than $60,000, expanding collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure, and funding out-of-pocket expenses for classroom materials.
• Strengthens the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by ensuring that the federal government provides at least 50 percent of the funding for special education and giving special education teachers the support they need.
• Provide year-round, free universal school meals, and incentivizes locally sourced food.
• Make schools safe and inclusive by protecting the rights of all students from harassment, discrimination, and violence and enacting comprehensive gun violence prevention laws.
• Rebuild, modernize, and green our nation’s schools.
• Combat racial discrimination and school segregation
• End the unaccountable profit-motive of charter schools
Bernie's platform for higher education:
• Guarantee tuition and debt-free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions and trade-schools to all.
• Cancel all student loan debt for the some 45 million Americans who owe about $1.6 trillion and place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward at 1.88 percent.
• Invest $1.3 billion every year in private, non-profit historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions
• End equity gaps in higher education attainment. And ensure students are able to cover non-tuition costs of attending school by: expanding Pell Grants to cover non-tuition and fee costs, tripling funding for the Work-Study Program, and more.
We do not support the AFT's decision to support Joe Biden without full participation. We, respectfully, request that the AFT support Bernie Sanders because he is the best pro-education candidate in this race for the presidency.
There is no question or doubt that Bernie's platform for education from the start is superior and calls on us to make the playing field equitable and education attainable for all. Here is why:
Bernie's platform for elementary and secondary school education:
• Provide equitable funding for public schools
• Give teachers a much-deserved raise by setting a starting salary for teachers at no less than $60,000, expanding collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure, and funding out-of-pocket expenses for classroom materials.
• Strengthens the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by ensuring that the federal government provides at least 50 percent of the funding for special education and giving special education teachers the support they need.
• Provide year-round, free universal school meals, and incentivizes locally sourced food.
• Make schools safe and inclusive by protecting the rights of all students from harassment, discrimination, and violence and enacting comprehensive gun violence prevention laws.
• Rebuild, modernize, and green our nation’s schools.
• Combat racial discrimination and school segregation
• End the unaccountable profit-motive of charter schools
Bernie's platform for higher education:
• Guarantee tuition and debt-free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions and trade-schools to all.
• Cancel all student loan debt for the some 45 million Americans who owe about $1.6 trillion and place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward at 1.88 percent.
• Invest $1.3 billion every year in private, non-profit historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions
• End equity gaps in higher education attainment. And ensure students are able to cover non-tuition costs of attending school by: expanding Pell Grants to cover non-tuition and fee costs, tripling funding for the Work-Study Program, and more.
We do not support the AFT's decision to support Joe Biden without full participation. We, respectfully, request that the AFT support Bernie Sanders because he is the best pro-education candidate in this race for the presidency.