Election 2008
MSTA and NEA focus on NCLB and other education issues to make recommendations to members
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Avoid long lines at the polls! |
| Compare the candidates on education issues |
| U.S. President Obama and McCain on education issues |
| Congressional District 1 Kratovil and Harris |
| Congressional District 6 Dougherty and Bartlett |
Nearly 10,000 delegates to the July NEA Representative Assembly officially endorsed Barack Obama for president. “Sen. Obama gets it,” added new NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, about Obama's education plans. “He knows that reform cannot take place overnight or by using quick fixes. Obama wants to invest in comprehensive strategies, both immediate and long-term, which will pay dividends for our children, our economy and our country.”
Marylanders also have two high-profile issues on the ballot this year, presented as Questions 1 & 2. Question 1 makes voting easier by allowing for the first time early voting in person at select polling places around the state on certain days, and by making it even easier to vote absentee.
Question 2 is the much-talked about slots referendum. The referendum comes at a crucial time when education funding is threatened by the state budget crisis.
Marylanders to elect eight to congress
Finally, for educators, the hot topics in races for U.S. Congress are funding and the No Child Left Behind Act.
| “The fact is, No Child Left Behind has done more to stigmatize and demoralize our students and teachers in struggling schools than it has to marshal the talent and the determination and the resources to turn them around. That's what's wrong with No Child Left Behind, and that's what we must change in a fundamental way.” (Barack Obama, Manchester, NH, 11/22/07) |
See below for MSTA-recommended candidates for election to Congress for the next term. We've included campaign websites for them all, plus the official websites for incumbent candidates. Next to each of the candidates in the key competitive races, you'll see a brief statement reflecting their position on NCLB.
Congressional District 1 Compare the candidates in the District 1 race!
Frank Kratovil, Jr. “Fully fund NCLB and IDEA programs … replace the reliance on standardized tests with an evaluation process which uses a variety of measurements of student and school success.”
Congressional District 2
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger
www.dutchforcongress.com
www.dutch.house.gov
Congressional District 3
Rep. John Sarbanes
http://sarbanes.house.gov
Congressional District 4
Rep. Donna Edwards
www.donnaedwards.house.gov
Congressional District 5
Rep. Steny Hoyer (Democratic Majority Leader)
www.hoyerforcongress.com
http://hoyer.house.gov
Congressional District 6 Compare the candidates in the District 6 race!
Jennifer Dougherty
“I support NEA's and MSTA's position on NCLB. We need to reform it to restore the educator's role in testing strategies and curriculum control.”
www.jenniferdougherty.com
Congressional District 7
Rep. Elijah Cummings
www.cummingsforcongress.com
www.house.gov/cummings
Congressional District 8
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Jr.
www.vanhollen.org
www.vanhollen.house.gov
