Defeat of Question 2 featured in video at NEA RA
Defeat of Question 2 featured in video at NEA RA
The defeat of Question 2 in Massachusetts figured prominently in an inspiring call to action that capped the business session on July 2 at the NEA Representative Assembly in Boston.
A video produced by the NEA showing significant victories for public education across the nation opened with MTA President Barbara Madeloni recounting the statewide effort that decisively stopped the ballot initiative, which sought to radically expand charter schools. The “Yes” campaign drew millions of dollars of corporate funding and strong support from Governor Charlie Baker, but lost heavily throughout the Commonwealth.
“The victory of our grassroots campaign sent the message that your money won’t buy your agenda,” Madeloni said in the video as she recounted the 62 percent to 38 percent defeat of Question 2 on Nov. 8.
The lopsided win over charter school expansion was achieved by the Save Our Public Schools coalition, in which the MTA partnered with AFT Massachusetts and other unions, along with organizations representing parents and students and many other advocates for the schools our communities deserve.
When NEA Executive Director John Stocks called on the 7,000-plus NEA RA delegates in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center to “give it up for Massachusetts,” they did — offering a standing ovation directed toward the MTA delegation.
The NEA video also featured victories for public education that unions and their allies helped achieve in Georgia and North Carolina. Stocks, calling on the crowd to cheer on their delegations as his speech proceeded, ticked off numerous other successes for public education and the labor movement that NEA state affiliates were involved in from coast to coast.
The victory over Question 2 was national news last fall, especially since it was a bright spot on a night that also included the election of Republican Donald Trump as president.
Dismay and anger over the policies of Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos were expressed by several speakers during the RA session.
But educators from Massachusetts and other NEA affiliates also made it clear that they are ready to fight back — and to stop the Trump/DeVos agenda in its tracks.
NEA President Lily Eskelsen García noted during her speech to RA delegates during the morning that the defeat of Question 2 was an example of how to exercise union power and build coalitions that can act successfully to protect public education.
“All year long, you’ve been using the power of our collective voice to fight and to win,” Eskelsen García said. “Right here in Massachusetts, the MTA, with an amazing coalition of true believers in public education, fought back an initiative on unaccountable charter expansion — and you won!”