TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Citing Education Agenda, Teachers Groups Back Obama

ADVERTISEMENT

Published: October 17, 2008

TAMPA - A political action committee of the second largest teachers' union in the country launched 60-second radio ads Thursday supporting Barack Obama for president in eight battleground states, including Florida.

At the same time, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, headed to Tampa to address the annual convention of the Florida Education Association meeting at Tampa's Convention Center today.

"We're in a very dangerous time," she said Thursday in a telephone interview. Education and health care are keys to improving the economy.

"Education has not been the priority it ought to be," Weingarten said.

Obama's education agenda has much in common with that of the AFT, she said. "So many school districts across the county have just become testing machines."

The radio ads will run in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin through Nov. 3. The AFT represents 1.4 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other workers in 35 states.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT