Raybould earns recommendation from NSEA
U.S. Senate candidate is strong advocate for children and education
Lincoln, Neb.—28,000-member Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) and its national affiliate, the National Education Association (NEA), announced support for U.S. Senate Candidate Jane Raybould today.
“I am truly honored to receive this recommendation from our Nebraska public school teachers,” said Raybould. “I believe providing quality education is the key to economic prosperity. Educating our children must be a priority for our great state of Nebraska and our nation.
“I announced I would challenge Senator Deb Fischer this fall because when she went to Washington, she stopped looking out for Nebraska, and her vote for the unqualified Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, despite outcry from Nebraska’s educators and concerned parents, is a prime example of how Fischer has disappointed Nebraska and ‘gone Washington.’ As Nebraska’s U.S. Senator, I will work hard to ensure our children have access to safe and resourced schools, caring and competent teachers, and class sizes that allow teachers to provide the one-on-one attention every child needs and deserves to learn and succeed.”
“Jane is a strong advocate for children and public education,” said Jenni Benson, NSEA President. “As a business owner and as a parent, Jane understands the importance of providing all students with a high-quality college- and career-ready education. Jane is committed to ensuring every student has the support, tools and the time necessary to learn.
“From the local school board to the statehouse, Congress and the White House, elected officials make key decisions about our schools, students, and profession: funding, curriculum, standards, school safety and compensation,” Benson said. “That is why members of NSEA offer candidate recommendations. Bi-partisan committees of NSEA members recommend pro-education candidates based on interviews, candidate questionnaires and voting records.
“These recommendations are based solely on issues affecting public schools and school employees. We ask about a candidate’s stance on key issues like class size, resources for students and teachers, safety in our schools and school funding,” Benson said.
Candidates for federal office, including Congress, are supported by the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education following recommendations from NSEA members. Recommendations also are based on voting records, candidate interviews and questionnaires.
The Nebraska State Education Association is an affiliate of the National Education Association. NSEA represents more than 28,000 educational professionals in Nebraska.
READ MORE:
Fischer Said That She Supported Education Secretary Betsy DeVos After Receiving a Written Assurance from DeVos That the Department of Education Wouldn’t Support Vouchers. “Half the room clapped when one questioner criticized Fischer for supporting President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. “DeVos’s words don’t carry much weight in Nebraska. Why did you vote against Nebraska?” said Paul Schulte, president of the Millard Education Association. Fischer said she supported DeVos after meeting with the nominee and receiving DeVos’ written assurance that the federal Department of Education wouldn’t support vouchers.” [Kearney Hub, 3/16/17]
Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education secretary, is an outspoken advocate for such programs, and President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget includes $250 million for voucher initiatives. Another $1 billion is set aside for encouraging schools to adopt school choice-friendly policies. But a pair of new studies released Monday provide evidence that voucher programs don’t improve students’ performance on standardized tests, one quantifiable method of testing educational outcomes. [Time Magazine 6/26/17 http://time.com/4832923/betsy-
Fischer said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos would have to be “exposed” to “great public schools” to understand how “successful we are in educating our youth.” “Fischer made the comments on Monday evening speaking with Lincoln radio station KLIN […] ‘I will hold Mrs. DeVos to those same standards so she understands and is exposed as I said, the great public schools that we have in Nebraska and that we have in many other states.’” [CNN, 2/7/17]
###
The Nebraska State Education Association is a member-directed professional employee organization representing 28,000 public school teachers and other educational professionals across Nebraska. The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
Jane Raybould, candidate for United States Senate, is a fourth-generation Nebraskan and a second-generation grocer. Jane helps run her family’s business, B&R Stores Inc. which includes Super Savers and Russ’s Markets, which employs more than 2,000 people across the state and was one of the Nebraska’s first employee-owned companies. Raybould’s campaign has boasted more than 3,000 individual donations in its first five months and continues to attract support from every corner of the state.