Overview:
On July 24, President Joe Biden announced he would not seek an additional term. What does that mean for educators?
Joe Biden removing himself from the 2024 bid for the President of the United States will come with cheers and jeers. Some people will look at his decision’s global political implications. Others will look at the more intricate issues impacting everyday Americans with this political move. I look well beyond that as a former teacher and current educator cultivator. I know that major political issues are usually not a direct attack on education, but this time is different…very different.
On Wednesday night, President Biden addressed the nation during a prime-time speech. He spoke directly to the American people after stepping away from the campaign trail and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Biden has tried to make changes more personal over the last four years. Average Americans had begun to feel the power of the presidency at an intimate level. He deliberately sought opportunities to empower the traditional American to rebuild trust in the government and its leaders.
Now, with Biden bowing out of the 2024 Presidential race, ‘average Americans’ who hold the title of educator will probably feel this tremendous blow the most. During Biden’s presidency, educators have felt seen, validated, and affirmed. Educators have been invited to the White House to serve on advisory councils. They have walked the Senate floor to talk to representatives about the educational needs of America’s children. Although these opportunities have been made available in the past, Biden’s Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, has been extremely intentional about making D.C. a second home for educators.
With all of the growth we have seen over the last four years, with educators taking their rightful places in the political landscape, there could be brash changes on the horizon. Project 2025 and its attempt to eradicate the Department of Education is a discussion that is heartbreaking to educators on so many levels. With the changing of the guard so late in the presidential race, all of the progress that has been made to be more inclusive of educators as decision-makers…hangs in the balance.
Just as recently as March, Biden promised to remove the student loan burden for more than 78,000 borrowers in the public service sector, with educators making up a large portion of the targeted group. The relief that many educators have already enjoyed because of Biden’s recognition of their unwavering work is quickly dissipating. So many educators were finally starting to feel that the government truly appreciated the work they were doing and fully understood how the removal of student loan debt was extremely freeing and rewarding.
Sunday, July 21, 2024, will FOREVER go down in history! Biden’s decision will cause a sense of trepidation for the country, no matter which side of the aisle one sits. Educators across the United States need to galvanize and support the ticket that will continue to amplify the voices and works of America’s educators. This is a time that we have to focus on the candidate who will ensure America’s public school system is revitalized and brought back to its rightful place of respect and reverence.
We only get one vote. Let’s make it count, EDUCATORS!