NEA President: “This is not the outcome we campaigned for... but it is the road through history we now must travel.”

National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement on the election results: 

“As Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘The road to freedom is a difficult, hard road. It always makes for temporary setbacks.’ 

“This is not the outcome we campaigned for, nor the future we wanted for our students and families, but it is the road through history we now must travel.  

“Today, we lament, and tomorrow, we organize because our students need us advocating for them now more than ever. Our values don’t change based on who wins or loses an election. And we will continue to advocate and organize for what we believe in with all our strength.

“As educators, we are united in supporting every student—Native, Asian, Black, Latino, newcomer, white, LGBTQ+ and disabled—who deserve high-quality, safe, and welcoming public schools. And as educators, we will continue to remind him that the government of the United States and those elected to office have a responsibility to serve all people.  

“We know this outcome will create anxiety for so many of our students and their families. In the coming days, weeks, and months, we will care for students who are at risk of losing their rights, protections, and accommodations. We will console students who fear for members of their families and their place in our communities. And we will use our educator voices to speak out against politicians trying to harm any of our students.

“Unions exist for moments like this. Members of our union will come together. We will redouble our efforts, summoning the righteous energy from Selma and Stonewall, Seneca Falls, and Philadelphia, where 43 educators gathered in 1857 to unite as one voice in the cause of public education, starting what would become the National Education Association.  

“We will continue to advocate for students and find strength in last night’s results in Nebraska, Colorado, and Kentucky that showed when public education was put directly before voters, they chose to support children and support strong public schools. Voters rejected diverting public school funding to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools, just like they have done every time vouchers have been on the ballot.  

“Now that this election is over, elected leaders around the country should come together and focus on serving all Americans, ensuring all students can attend an excellent public school, and America’s educators have the support and respect they deserve." 

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.