FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BURLINGAME – The 335,000-member California Teachers Association today joined thousands of educators across the country in demanding the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Education Rodney Paige, following a remark by Paige calling the National Education Association a “terrorist organization.”
“Teachers are deeply insulted by Mr. Paige’s remarks,” said CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. “And trying to brush the comments off as a ‘bad joke’ is even more insulting. Referring to teachers as terrorists is no joking matter. His remarks send a clear message as to how this administration views teachers and the work they do to educate millions of children every day.
“Name-calling appears to be the administration’s response to parents and teachers who have legitimate concerns with President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. Teachers and parents know that this law’s one-size-fits-all approach to learning hurts our kids. It wastes money on federal tests and more bureaucracy, rather than giving students the resources they need to succeed.
“The administration of the nation’s public school system is too vital a task for someone who has no respect for the system’s most important force – its dedicated teachers. After the recent exposés of the Houston school system under Mr. Paige’s leadership and now this insensitive gaffe, it is time for Mr. Paige to pack his bags and head back to Texas.”