UEA, it's time to VOTE!
Vote like public education is on the line. Because. It. Is.
This is my call to action, and I’m fired up about this November’s election. I’m here to protect my chosen profession and our students’ right to learn and grow in their neighborhood public schools. This is our chance to elect pro-public education, pro-union candidates up and down the ballot, from the U.S. House to the Utah Legislature and the State Board of Education. Let’s make our voices heard loud and clear.
“We the People” have power. Let’s elect policymakers who believe in public education, the cornerstone of our democracy. We need candidates who believe public tax dollars belong in public schools and public workers deserve a seat at the table with our employers. We deserve a say in improving our working conditions and our students’ learning conditions, and in negotiating compensation that honors our expertise and professionalism.
At the federal level, the nationwide voucher program passed last year and will launch in January. It incentivizes privatization and drains federal revenue while Title I and IDEA are already underfunded. The dismantling and defunding of the U.S. Department of Education has had devastating results for our most marginalized students.
Here at home, Utah classrooms are overcrowded. Resources and support are stretched thin even as our students’ needs grow. Last year, UEA sued and a district court ruled the state voucher program is unconstitutional. The state appealed and the case awaits review by the Utah Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the program continues siphoning $120 million in tax dollars annually from our neighborhood public schools. Imagine how public schools could benefit from that funding if it wasn’t diverted to private religious schools.
Our voice and our vote matter. You know better than anyone what Utah's classrooms and students need. Our kids deserve a world-class public education, and we deserve to be treated as the professionals we are.
I know you arrive early, stay late and grade on weekends. You build curriculum on your own time, stock your classroom library and stay in touch with parents. You cheer your students on at assemblies, concerts and games while caring for your own family or working a second job. When exhaustion takes over, you dig deep because you believe in your students and respect their families.
Utah ballots will drop in mailboxes beginning Oct. 13. Check your voter registration, read the UEA-PAC recommendations below and ask three colleagues to do the same.
Now is the time to VOTE. Vote for candidates who believe in the power of public education and support our neighborhood public schools. Vote for candidates who will listen to educators and work with us on policy that supports our students, our profession and our communities.
I’m counting on you, UEA! Let’s make this midterm election one to remember.
Go. Fight. Win.
