A BAT View of #PublicEdForum

One of our BAT members posted a summary of each presidential candidate after their time at the 2019 #PublicEdForum. We found each summary to be insightful and worthy of a compilation post. Shannon Ergun is a long-time BAT from Washington and both actively involved in BATs, her local and state union, as well as, the NEA BAT Caucus, serving as the Treasurer. 

Michael Bennet has lots of sound bites but not much substance in his positions on public education. He's suggesting that high school kids should have the equivalent of a year of community college "under their belt" when they graduate. Hmmm...

Suggesting more school - 6 days/week and longer school years. Seriously, he wants kids to work harder and more than adults. Kids need family time. Kids need free play time. Kids need 10 hours sleep.

This one is a BIG NOPE for me.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg - understands the difference between school as prep for work and school as prep for participating in our society.

Education Access Forum a program that provides a national certification and if the educators worked in Title I schools for at least 7 years, their education loans would be forgiven. Hmmm...

Use Title I to provide additional funding to schools in poverty stricken areas.

Error! Error! Great kindergarten teachers make better earners when they graduate. Clear misunderstanding of the issue.

Uses all the keywords - social emotional, homelessness, hunger, critical thinking, etc. Not sure he has a clear plan. Has suggested a plan for community schools and neighborhood public schools.

Speaks passionately about CTE, internships, and apprenticeships and the funding needed rather than just the college going focus. Create a tax break for half the of interns if companies pay their interns.

Has a clear plan for public service employees loan forgiveness.

Talked clearly about taxing the rich and corporations to support public programs that are necessary for our society.

Senator Elizabeth Warren - central problem inequality of opportunity and we have to rise to this challenge. She calls for a tax on the rich to pay for education. Tax the top tenth of 1% at 2-3 cents which would raise enough to cover the costs of her planned spending.

She supports getting rid of high stakes testing and putting billions into public education.

Error - she called education a calling. That's a subtle way to make it seem that educators do it no matter what.

Wants tuition free education K-post-secondary - public institutions only not private. Wants to add $50B for HBCU and other programs aimed at people of color. Wants to forgive loans for those who have them. States will still continue supporting education at the same level even as the federal government contributes more.

Won't take a stand on current charter school funding issues although says for-profit charter schools should be closed. Says she won't support expanding funding for charter schools. However is willing to work to create great public schools for all by adding $800B in federal funding to schools.

The wealth tax will pay for education, universal healthcare, universal pre-K, universal quality child care, invest in HBCU, invest in student loan debt solutions, etc.

Bernie Sanders (note: in every crowd shot it seems every audience member has their phone up - much more so than with the previous 3 candidates)

Universal high quality child care, adequate pay for teachers, triple funding for Title I, and increase funding for IDEA. Tax wealth as well as income of the wealthiest - current middle class is taxed at the highest rate for wealth because of property taxes - adjust to ensure that wealth of all types is taxed for the top percentage.

Was a public school student in elementary school with little diversity. It's important to desegregate schools - do the opposite of Trump and increase funding for civil rights division of government offices.

Cancel student debt using a tax on Wall St speculation. Make all public universities free.

Testing requires too much time teaching to the test. We must assess kids individually and consider disability and language proficiency. There are better ways than standardized tests. Individual assessment based on what is taught.

Three meals/day provided through schools. Universality of meal provisions so no student is hungry at school.

If student athletes are bringing in the revenue to universities, then they deserve compensation for it.

Tom Steyer - supports a quality pre-K to post-secondary system including continuing adult education. Supports rebuilding public schools with public labor, farm to table programs for schools, and student borrowers bill of rights.

Education can not start early enough and universal pre-K is imperative.

Expand food programs, add nurses and counselors, give teachers more planning time, reduce class sizes. Use the metric of what we want as an outcome and resource schools based on reaching that outcome.

Drastically increase funding for HBCUs and community college.

We can not repair this society until we repair our education system and how we resource it.

We can push to put education in the Constitution but we can't wait for that to happen to make change.

Recognizes the inequity of funding schools through property tax.

A successful school doesn't teach to the test, it isn't standardized. Are disabled students supported? Students in poverty? Each school must determine what they need. Ensure the most disadvantaged have what they need.

If we value education, then we must show professional respect through compensation and treatment of educators. We need to make becoming an educator something young people want to do because it's a respected profession.

He's proud of teachers for leading a political revolutions, especially in red states. That's what union means. Pro-labor law reform by making forming locals easier and holds anti-union employers accountable, makes right-to-work legislation illegal, and makes striking legal nationwide.

Committed to breaking the school to prison pipeline. Invest in education and jobs instead of jails. Common sense gun policy not dictated by the NRA. End the war on drugs and legalize cannabis in every state.

Increase federal minimum wage to $15/hour.

Senator Amy Klobuchar - supports higher teacher pay, firing Betsy DeVos, add money to schools to add facilities, easier collective bargaining, and reverse the Janus decision.

Wants to roll back the estate tax exemption to add funding to schools.

Add mental health professionals to schools, provide mental health treatment options.

Opposes arming teachers, wants gun safety laws, wants to a major housing policy that stops the backlog on section 8 housing and creates housing for rural areas.

Universal pre-K and quality child care options.

Create incentives for paying teachers fairly across communities.

She's different because she's gotten things done in the Senate already. She's gotten her state's most conservative areas to vote for her already.

Retaining teachers and hiring teachers of color will help with drop out rates and lack of attendance. Engage students by ensuring full adequate resources. Must have someone with an education background leading the dept of Ed.

Convince the public that if we don't educate our children, we can't compete internationally. Ensure pay for teachers and support professionals. Increase federal minimum wage.

Put schools in the $1T infrastructure package. Tax the rich and corporations.

Cites reverting back to many Obama era policies including taxation and school discipline. Reverse Trump policies that disadvantage LGBTQ community members, people of color, and people facing poverty.

Joe Biden - supports free community college for all

Mentioned that we lost many jobs due to changing work force and people need to go back to college and that should be free - including transportation, housing, etc. Wants to double Pell grant funding to assist those who need it. Also for certificates and other programs.

Wants to tax income and wealth in the same way and use the money to pay for support professionals in schools to provide mental health support and social emotional support.

Fight de facto segregation.

Supports cuts to Title IX funding at universities if they are not actually taking actions to prevent sexual assault and harassment.

Supports getting rid of charter schools.

Wants $139B to fully fund IDEA. Educating people with disabilities saves billions because these people can work and maintain their dignity as they become adults.

Get rid of tax breaks to the rich and to corporations and enact capital gains tax and estate tax for the wealthiest.

Pay for teachers who mentor other educators. Teachers should not have to have second and third jobs.

Commits to ending standardized testing in schools. Supports teachers determining curriculum and assessment. Recognizes that there are lousy examples in every profession but the majority are factually great. Students and teachers should not be evaluated by test scores.

Teachers most importantly should be building students' confidence and then helping them to improve their skills.

Recognizes that bus drivers and cafeteria staff know a great deal about the kids in our schools and provide empathy to those kids.

Note: Cory Booker was scheduled to speak but had to cancel his attendance due to the flu.