Welcome to Election 2008

Most of us had expected that the presidential nominees for both parties would be known by now and that NEA would be in a position to make a recommendation for the primary election. 

Regardless of whether the eventual Democratic nominee for president is Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, members will be well-served in terms of NEA’s policy priorities by either candidate.  Both candidates have rock-solid voting records on education and other important national issues such as health care, jobs, and the economy.  This will not change. NEA President Reg Weaver has personally met with both candidates—and our staff met with the candidate’s senior policy and political staff—to discuss NEA’s legislative and policy priorities and how we will work in partnership with a new administration.  Each candidate agreed to be a “partner” with NEA on issues that will affect our members across the country.

Senator John McCain appears to be the presumptive Republican nominee for president.  Senator McCain chose not to participate in NEA’s presidential recommendation process—although NEA reached out to him and invited him to participate—and his positions on education and many other important public policy issues stand in sharp contrast with NEA’s positions. 

The NEA Campaigns and Elections Department has put together some information on the candidates’ positions on education and other issues to help you decide which candidate to support.

Did You Know?

Did you know that only delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly can recommend a presidential candidate for the general election? 

Here’s how the NEA’s presidential election recommendation process works:

• All candidates are invited to complete a candidate questionnaire.  Candidates’ responses on the questionnaire are made available to all NEA members.  Candidates who choose not to fill out a questionnaire are not eligible for endorsement.

• The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education Council reviews the questionnaires and votes to recommend a candidate to the RA Delegates.

• The recommendation of the NEA Fund Council is sent to the NEA Board of Directors for concurrence.

• The delegates at RA have the final word.  They vote by secret ballot at the RA, or by mail ballot if the vote is conducted after RA, to concur or not concur with that recommendation. 

2008 Presidential Candidates Speak on Issues

Online video shows McCain, Clinton and Obama (D-IL) addressing three of the nation's most important issues: the economy, health care and education.

Transportation For Democratic State Delegates

The Clinton and Obama campaigns are organizing buses to transport delegates to the Democratic State Convention in Reno, NV. If you are interested in using this service please call the appropriate campaign.

• For the Barack Obama campaign call (702) 278-4626
• For the Hillary Clinton campaign call (702) 454-2008

Neither of these campaigns or the bus services are in coordination with the Nevada State Education Association. We recommend any questions regarding your travel be directed to the campaign.

National Party Platforms on Education

For more information on your parties platform on education issues check out the following links:

2004 Democratic party platform

2004 Republican party platform

What does the election mean for the reauthorization of NCLB?

Becoming involved in the state’s presidential election gives you the opportunity to discuss the issues most important to students and the teaching profession.

With the No Child Left Behind Act up for reauthorization this year, this election gives voters, including educators, a chance to lobby all candidates to publicly support the positive changes proposed by the National Education Association.

Here’s what NEA has recommended:

• Use of more than test scores to measure student learning and school performance, which includes multiple measures of student learning and school effectiveness instead of the current one-day snapshot based solely on standardized tests.

• Reduce class size to help students learn. Through the reauthorization, there is an opportunity to restore the class size reduction program.

• Increase the number of highly qualified teachers in Nevada public schools by providing financial incentives to teachers who teach in hard-to-staff schools; deem all teachers who have achieved certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as “highly qualified;” and provide flexibility for teachers of multiple subjects, including special education and rural educators.