Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren raked in tens of thousands of dollars from teachers’ unions before reversing her past support for student vouchers and education reform.
In 2004, Warren argued that vouchers “relieve parents” from relying on failing public schools. Her campaign’s newly-released education plan attacks charter schools and school choice. Warren’s reversal comes after the Massachusetts senator took more than $2.5 million in campaign cash from the education industry throughout her political career, including nearly $70,000 from the country’s most powerful teachers’ unions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) quickly praised Warren’s plan, calling it “rooted in respect,” “bold,” and a “game-changer.” The proposal, described as a “teachers union dream,” marks yet another example of the influence public sector organized labor has on the 2020 Democratic presidential field. On Tuesday, Warren flew to Chicago to participate in a teachers strike that has affected hundreds of thousands of students.
Labor watchdogs criticized Warren’s plan for placing a priority on powerful labor lobbies, rather than children. Charlyce Bozzello, spokeswoman for the Center for Union Facts, said Warren’s proposal represents a “race to the bottom” to maintain the status quo for influential teachers’ unions. – READ MORE