“Wisconsin conditions didn’t happen overnight. The future of the profession, the future of public education is at stake. We can never let these politicians divide us again. The way we get PAC donations is by having individual conversations with members. But it is more than giving money. It is a willingness to speak up and speak out that will make us strong.”
— Mary Bell, Wisconsin Education Association
JULIANNA DAUBLE, RENTON; RYAN GRANt,
MEDICAL LAKE; MARGUERITE JONES, SEATTLE
About wea-pac . . .
Dear WEA member,
You saw what happened in Wisconsin after the last election.
Within weeks of taking office, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and a new anti-union majority in the state assembly launched a full-force campaign to eliminate nearly all collective bargaining rights for public workers – including school employees.
We can’t let that happen here in Washington. That’s why we have WEA-PAC, the political action committee for WEA members. Help prevent this from happening in Washington — go here to download and fill out the WEA-PAC sign-up form now.
WEA-PAC helps elect pro-education, pro-union candidates to local school boards, the state Legislature and statewide offices such as governor and superintendent of public instruction.
The vicious attacks on educators and unions in Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and other states highlight what we sometimes forget: Nearly every decision about public schools, from funding to academic standards, is determined by elected officials at some level.
Here in Washington, Americans for Prosperity, the political action committee funded by the Koch brothers, backed four candidates who defeated incumbent pro-education state senators in the last election. All four of those Koch-backed senators voted for a bill that tramples our local collective bargaining rights around school staffing policies. That’s a preview of what could happen here if we let it.
WEA-PAC has 26,000 members and is growing every day. We have our sights set on the 2012 election, where we’ll be electing a governor, superintendent of public instruction, the state House and half of the state Senate.
E-mail us to find out how you help prevent Washington from being the next Wisconsin.
— Julianna Dauble, Marguerite Jones and Ryan Grant, educators and WEA-PAC Board members
Washington Educators Start Recruiting School Board Candidate
Posted in NEA Today
Wanted: school board members who understand what it means to work in a school, or who will at least listen to those who do.
With that ideal candidate in mind, educators and union leaders in Washington state in 10 areas, including three of the state’s largest cities — Seattle, Vancouver and Spokane — set out to recruit school board candidates for 2011 and 2012.
WEA-PAC RECRUITS PRO-EDUCATION CANDIDATES
The program, initiated by the National Education Association, works in partnership with Wellstone Action and Progressive Majority, groups dedicated to electing progressive candidates. It’s been used previously by the Ohio Education Association and participants with the Washington Education Association are seeing interest from colleagues in other states…read more
