As part of its commitment to making public education a top issue in the 2020 election, NEA is partnering to co-host the “Public Education Forum 2020: Equity and Justice for All” on Saturday, Dec. 14, where member questions will be featured in a panel discussion moderated and livestreamed by MSNBC.  Exact details about the streaming will be shared when available (likely available through www.msnbc.com), but for now, mark your calendars to listen live next Saturday at 10 a.m.

In addition, NEA has invited every candidate from both parties to participate in its recommendation process, which requires each candidate seeking NEA’s recommendation to:

• Fill out and return NEA’s 2020 candidate questionnaire,
• And sit down with NEA’s President, Lily Eskelsen García, for a recorded interview that our members can view.

Recently NEA released the first five presidential candidate interviews. These interviews enable NEA members and the public to learn more about the candidates’ stances on critical issues that the next president must address to strengthen public schools across the United States.

The first wave of videos, which can be found by visiting StrongPublicSchools.org, includes interviews with Sen. Michael Bennet, Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. More candidate interviews will be released as they are filmed.

NEA launched the Strong Public Schools 2020 campaign with the priorities of listening to members, learning what matters to them in the presidential election, and giving them tools to engage with the candidates. As part of that effort, NEA has:

• Asked for and received tens of thousands of questions from NEA members for the presidential candidates, and used the top six issues submitted by NEA members for the Strong Public Schools 2020 candidate interviews,
• Hosted the #StrongPublicSchools Presidential Forum at the annual NEA Representative Assembly in July, where the candidates answered questions posed directly by NEA members, and
• Hosted house parties across the country that marked one year until Election Day 2020, enabling NEA members to discuss what is at stake in the election and how educators will play a key role in selecting the next president.