Gardner’s Senate refuses to take action to provide resources to schools to safely reopen
As parents, teachers, and communities grapple with the challenges of this back-to-school season during a pandemic, John Hickenlooper is unveiling his campaign’s robust education plan and is proud to have earned the endorsement of the Colorado Education Association.
Hickenlooper has spent weeks listening to parents and educators as they deal with the unique difficulties of schooling during COVID. His plan, “Building a Better Education System” addresses the shortcomings exposed by COVID as well as longer-term problems and the growing inequality in our education system.
Hickenlooper’s plan to “Build a Better Education System” includes:
- Investing in early childhood learning by ensuring universal access to early childhood education and preschool;
- Strengthening our K-12 system by giving schools the resources they need to reopen safely;
- Investing in public schools, investing in educators, and supporting community schools;
- Promoting equity in education by ending the school-to-to prison pipeline, strengthening support for English language learners, fulfilling our commitment to adequately fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, protecting the civil rights of LGTBQ students, and advocating for rural schools;
- Making higher education more accessible by addressing college affordability, supporting equal access to a college degree, strengthening transitions to college and the workforce, and preparing students for careers in renewable energy.
“Education is one of the most important investments we make in our children and our nation,” said John Hickenlooper. “Instead of getting our schools the resources they need to safely reopen, the Senate is on vacation until September, and the White House is recklessly trying to blackmail schools to reopen before they’re ready. It’s unacceptable. In the Senate, I’ll fight for our children, schools, and educators to ensure they’re getting the resources they need and build a stronger, more inclusive education system.”
“Gov. Hickenlooper’s vision for improving public education begins to address the anti-public education reform policies that have exacerbated educational inequities amongst students, and increased the teacher shortage crisis across the country,” said high school counselor and CEA President Amie Baca-Oehlert. “Educators are not willing to stand idly by when the consequences are so high for our students. Our 39,000 members believe in the hope of a new day and we will be voting in November to flip the US Senate and to roll back the failed education policies of Trump and DeVos by supporting John Hickenlooper for US Senate.”
“As Educators, for nearly four years now, we have seen first-hand what a lack of commitment to public education and our students looks like as Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos slashed billions of dollars from our public schools and divert funding into unaccountable and oftentimes discriminatory private schools. Over the last several months, rather than working to get COVID under control and working on a plan to reopen schools and campuses when it is safe to do so, Trump and DeVos have tried to bully students and educators back into unsafe classrooms. And sadly, during this crisis, Sen. Cory Gardner has done nothing to stand up for Colorado’s students, parents, and educators. That is why it is so critical that Colorado voters reject Donald Trump, Betsy DeVos, and Cory Gardner this fall – by electing Joe Biden as president and sending John Hickenlooper to the U.S. Senate,” said NEA President-elect Becky Pringle.
Read Hickenlooper’s plan, “Building a Better Education System,” HERE.
