As we step into 2019, I must also look back at the great results we saw last year at ballot boxes across the nation.
In Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas, and Maine we elected pro-public education governors. Best of all, one of our own—educator Tony Evans—defeated Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, one of the most anti-union, anti-public service worker governors in U.S. history. In Minnesota, educator Tim Walz will also head to the governor’s mansion.
In fact, educators won up and down the ballot. More than 1,000 educators won legislative seats, bringing the number of educators to an astounding 15 percent of all state legislative positions nationwide. In Connecticut, former National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes became the state’s first African American ever elected to Congress by Democrats. Rochelle Galindo, a school custodian, became the first education support professional to earn a seat in the Colorado State House.
The new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives boosts that body’s number of public education allies, and pulls in the reins on the Betsy DeVos agenda. Best of all, the House is more diverse than ever! Your hard work and dedication helped to make all of that possible.
New beginnings always present new opportunities. That means it’s time to contribute to the NEA PAC like never before. It’s time to raise our voices even loud- er when it comes to protecting our pensions, Social Security, Medicare, and health insurance benefits. And we must continue to call for the removal of GPO-WEP.
As part of that, I hope you will attend the NEA Summit and Retired Confer- ence in Denver, March 15 to 18. Find registration information on Page 32. The theme is “Leading and Learning.” Truly, there is no better way to describe who we are and what we do. Happy New Year!
