Advocacy
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR CAMPAIGN WORK By: Lois Kilby-Chesley, MEA President
Election Day 2014 is over. As educators, we will continue to teach and help prepare our students for success. And we must hold elected officials responsible for doing their part to ensure that all students, regardless of their zip code, have the opportunity to get a good education. The work of MEA members made the difference in many victories and kept the election at all levels competitive. Thank you for being a part of electing pro-education candidates in many parts of our state. At MEA we will continue to work for strong schools for our members, appropriate educational expectations for our students, and student assessments and teacher evaluations that are fair. We are, after all, educators and we will continue to provide great public schools for our students. Educating our students is the most important investment we can make in our future. Since 2010, Augusta has cut from our state education budget. This trend will not be reversed until we get truly pro-public education activists standing up and speaking loudly. It's up to us: educators, parents, and community leaders, to make choices every day that will help ensure that our students have the future they deserve. We will have our challenges in the next few years, but MEA won't give up, and we will be fighting for what's best for our students. If we want to have a real impact on the future of education, we must encourage all pro-public education voters to stay involved. We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines and let others choose the direction education will go. It is our responsibility to stand up and make our voices heard to ensure our students get the schools and future they deserve. Please know that MEA will continue to work toward Great Public Schools for Every Maine Student!
MEA and MEA-Retired members gather before going into a rally in support of Mike Michaud with special guest, President Barack Obama. 16
Maine Educator • December 2014
