September 9, 2006                               

 

PACE praises 3 top candidates for governor

Refrains from making endorsement

 

            NEA-Alaska’s 13,000-plus teachers and education support professionals won’t be getting a recommendation from their union about which candidate to vote for in the gubernatorial race.  The organization’s 54-member PACE* committee will not take a stand in favor of Sarah Palin, Tony Knowles, or Andrew Halcro.  Instead, the state’s largest union will urge its members to get involved, volunteer in the campaigns, and then cast their ballot for the candidate of their choice. 

 

            “We’re in the fortunate situation of having three very fine candidates who are passionate and articulate about education issues, and who have schools and children in their hearts,” said NEA-Alaska President Bill Bjork.

“All three candidates responded to our written questionnaire** and demonstrated in-depth understanding of and support for our issues,” said Bjork.  Those issues are adequate funding, creation of a long-range fiscal plan, secure retirement benefits for our members and other public employees, attracting & retaining quality educators, and reasonable class size.  In the 45-minute interviews this morning, the candidates got the opportunity to explain their positions in more detail.

 “We’ve got hundreds of members who are volunteering in all three races.  And the bottom line is any one of these candidates would be good for public education in Alaska.  We wish them well, and we thank them for their efforts on behalf of children and quality education.” ##

 

* Political Action Committee on Education (PACE)

 

** Responses at www.neaalaska.org.

 

The National Education Association of Alaska is a statewide organization of more than 13,000 teachers and education support professionals dedicated to providing an excellent public education for every child in Alaska. NEA-Alaska is the state’s largest union.