Stated Podcast: Carrie Pugh, NEA
Season 1, Episode 5 of Stated, a podcast by the DLCC
Jessica speaks with Carrie Pugh, the National Political Director of the National Education Association. The NEA is the nation’s largest professional employee organization and is committed to advancing the cause of public education. This interview was first published on October 29, 2018 and has been edited for length and clarity.
With her extensive political background and work at the NEA, Carrie discusses the intersection of policy debated on the state legislative level and education.
Carrie: Education touches every voter, whether you are a parent or whether you came up through the education system, which we all did, to get to where you are today. Everyone can relate to public schools and to education and we’re in a space where people keep getting told that the economy is better than ever, so I think voters are really wondering, and we’re seeing it in campaign ads and campaign mail, well if things are so great why are my kids still 30 to 35 in the classroom? Why are they going to school four days a week? Why do we not have a school nurse anymore or one that has to go between three different physical locations? Why isn’t there a guidance counselor? Why is there nobody here to help with other specific learning issues? We keep getting cut and cut and cut.
Carrie and Jessica also discuss the incredible Red for Ed movement, where thousands of educators went to their state capitals to demand more investment in education.
The walkouts were a result of years of legislative neglect and chronic underfunding of the resources that our students need. Educators and parents stepped up together. But, it’s important to point out it wasn’t just educators out there with their homemade signs walking out and rallying. It was parents and community members that had signs in their homes, that had markers, and chalk on their cars. They had the courage and they made the time to go and to stand up and talk truth to power to the legislators to get more for their students.
Red for Ed also had an incredible impact at the ballot box, inspiring over one thousand educators to run for their state legislature in 2018.
Education is the kitchen table issue [of 2018] that is helping to drive the conversation that people are using to judge who they want to see in office. And we’ve talked about this but I think you can’t say it enough, there are a record number of educators who have stepped up to run, and overwhelmingly female, but regardless of how every race [turned] out, we have a pipeline of educators and you are going to see them step up and be elected and continue to run for office for years to come and it’s going to be terribly exciting to see.
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