LOS ANGELES – Teacher delegates meeting here over the weekend as the top governing body of the 340,000-member California Teachers Association endorsed Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for president in the November general election.
Obama’s positions on public education issues and his clear support for changes to the flawed federal education law, President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, led to the vote Sunday by the CTA State Council of Education, comprised of 800 democratically elected teacher delegates from across the state.
“Senator Obama is the clear choice now for voters who want to protect and invest in California’s 6.3 million public school students and all students across the country,” said David A. Sanchez, president of CTA. “Public education will be a major issue in deciding who will be the next president of the United States. Barack Obama stands with teachers, parents and students on vital issues that matter to our public schools, like reducing class sizes and using a single test score to penalize students and schools.”
Obama wants to overhaul No Child Left Behind, supports reducing class sizes to help increase student achievement, opposes using public money for private school vouchers, believes all teachers should be paid a living wage and supports affordable health care for all. Senator John McCain of Arizona wants to expand the flawed NCLB, including its one-size-fits-all testing provisions, and supports school vouchers. He also wants to tie teacher pay to student test scores, a divisive and unfair concept opposed by California’s teachers.
The National Education Association will consider recommending Obama for president in early July at the annual NEA Representative Assembly meeting in Washington, D.C.