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| AFT - Aerican Federation Of Teachers. Statement by Edward J. McElroy on President Bush's State of the Union Address ***San Diego CA*** | | Flag this posting as inappropriate Click here to contact posting owner | | | STATEMENT BY EDWARD J. McElroy, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Bush’s State of the Union Address can be summed up in four
words: too little, too late.
The president mentioned No Child Left Behind, but he continues to turn a blind eye to the law’s
flaws. Our members, who work in classrooms every day, see the flaws all too clearly. NCLB puts too
much emphasis on testing, fails to recognize schools in which students are making progress, and offers
little help to schools that desperately need it. The president’s budget proposals have shortchanged the
law year after year. Making matters worse, the president is proposing a school voucher program that
would divert $300 million from public schools that serve the vast majority of our students.
For seven years, President Bush has ignored the struggles of middle-class and working-class
Americans, who have suffered as a result of his economic policies. If he were committed to helping
anyone other than the ultra-rich, he would support an economic stimulus package that includes
unemployment insurance extensions, increased support for the Food Stamp Program and increased aid to
states facing ever-mounting Medicaid costs. If his priorities included job creation, strengthening our
infrastructure and better educational opportunities, we would expect to see a stimulus package that
addresses our nation’s $100 billion backlog in school repairs.
The president is still in denial about the damage his policies have inflicted on our nation, and his
speech to Congress indicates that he is unable or unwilling to provide the leadership we need to move
this country forward.
The AFT represents 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related
personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; nurses and healthcare workers;
and federal, state and local government employees. |
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