Letter to Gov. Douglas for his
failure to defend Vermont Educators
On February 25, 2004, Vermont-NEA President
Angelo J. Dorta dealt with the failure of Vermont Governor Jim Douglas to come
to the defense of 11,000 Vermont educators who are NEA members.
Governor Douglas was at the Governors' Meeting
in Washington, D.C. where U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige called the
National Education Association a "terrorist organization." Douglas told the
Washington Post, "Somebody asked him about the NEA's role and he offered his
perspective on it."
President Dorta delivered this letter to the
Governor, with copies to the Vermont News media:
Dear Governor Douglas:
I am deeply disappointed by your failure to defend
11,000 Vermont educators who are members of Vermont-NEA against U.S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige’s pronouncement on Monday that he considers the
National Education Association to be a “terrorist organization.” Your
blasé response to Secretary Paige’s hateful remark was insufficient
and unworthy of the Governor of our State.
We are a nation at war against terrorists. Secretary
Paige’s attempt to characterize the good, decent citizens who teach our
children as “terrorists” because they voice reservations about the
Bush Administration’s so-called “No Child Left Behind” law is
frightening. Our members tell us they are insulted and demeaned by Secretary
Paige’s remark. You should have objected.
On behalf of Vermont educators, I ask that you move
immediately to make amends.
First, please join the call from throughout the
nation for Rod Paige’s resignation as U.S. Secretary of Education. He has
lost all credibility as a legitimate education leader. Ask President Bush to
remove him.
Second, please issue a statement affirming the free
speech rights of Vermont educators and their right to disagree with the Bush
Administration without being labeled as “terrorists.” Recognize their
hard work and the excellent results they have achieved. Acknowledge the
legitimate points they have raised in positive democratic efforts to amend
“No Child Left Behind” to make it fair.
The fine educators of Vermont deserve your support.
Respectfully yours,
Angelo J. Dorta
Vermont-NEA President
Letter to
Rod Paige
The Honorable Mr. Rod Paige
Secretary of
Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-6132
March 15, 2004
Dear Secretary Paige:
I write to you on behalf of Vermont-NEA's governing
Board of Directors and 11,000 Vermont teachers and education support
professionals. They proudly and voluntarily choose to be members of NEA's
local, state, and national associations.
Our educators are absolutely outraged at your
February 23rd description of the National Education Association as "a terrorist
organization." In numerous comments and written communications to me and to the
Vermont media over the past three weeks, Vermont school employees clearly and
repeatedly express their belief that your remark was unconscionable and
irresponsible. Several even consider it to be hate speech. The shock and insult
felt by Vermont educators have not totally subsided even yet.
We wholeheartedly concur with their viewpoints and
share the same feeling of being slandered and demeaned by your remark. Since
when is it un-American and terroristic to criticize the workings of a
re-authorized law that many educators and citizens alike consider seriously
flawed and underfunded? Since when is using normal democratic processes such as
legislative lobbying and the introduction of amending bills so hostile and so
threatening to top appointed government officials? Since when is it permissible
for U.S. leaders to purposely mislabel legitimate and specific suggestions for
the law's improvement as "obstructionist scare tactics" and opposition to "any
and all educational reforms, no matter what the consequences to our children."
in order to justify careless and offensive comments?
Democracy requires an informed citizenry and invites
debate and possible disagreement. Civil dissent is a vital aspect of U.S.
political tradition and public policy formulation, including laws related to
public education. We are appalled that your tolerance for dissent may be so
minimal.
Unfortunately, by logical extension, your remark
maligns nearly 3 million NEA members. As you surely should know,
representatives of our union and professional association in Washington, D.C.
would not be trying to amend the No Child Left Behind Act unless we wanted them
to do so. They are expressing our deep concerns and suggesting possible
improvements on behalf of NEA members across the country.
Possibly, the snowballing criticism of the No Child
Left Behind Act's new provisions and the recent actions and impending actions
of state legislatures to formally register their concerns about NCLB and
sometimes their outright opposition has shortened your temper on this subject.
Regardless, as the U.S. Secretary of Education, you are bound by your office to
work as smoothly and as respectfully as possible with a wide assortment of
educational organizations and with other constituent group officials and staff
interested in public education policy. Unfortunately, your low-blow
characterization cannot be retracted, defended, or excused. The harm is done.
The deep antipathy towards NEA evident in your
intemperate remark raises serious questions about your future ability and
willingness to work with elected leaders and staff of the nation's largest
teachers union. It destroys any credibility you have as the country's chief
education leader and spokesperson for public education and only can discredit
you in the eyes of those 3 million school employees who also happen to be NEA
members. Given the serious nature of your transgression and these current
circumstances, you have disqualified yourself as Education Secretary and
therefore should resign your post immediately.
Sincerely,
Angelo J. Dorta
Vermont-NEA
President |
Association members protest
Rod Paige remark, Jim Douglas attitude
“Dear Mr. Paige: Let me
keep you abreast of my terrorist acts...”
When, on February 23, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod
Paige called our National Education Association a “terrorist
organization,” educators across the nation were outraged. In Vermont, that
outrage was exacerbated when educators learned that Vermont Governor Jim
Douglas, who was at the Washington, D.C. meeting where Secretary Paige made the
remark, failed to come to the defense of 11,000 Vermont educators who are
members of NEA. Instead, according to the Associated Press, Governor Douglas
described Secretary Paige’s remark this way: “Somebody asked him
about the NEA’s role and he offered his perspective on it.”
Two days later, back home in Vermont, the Governor
changed his tune. After receiving a chorus of criticism from educators
throughout the state, including Angelo Dorta, he issued a statement with a new
attitude: "Secretary Paige's recent remarks about the leadership of the NEA
were highly inappropriate, especially given the struggle in which our nation is
engaged, and he has rightly apologized.”
Vermont-NEA members shared with the Association their
messages of protest aimed at Secretary Paige and Governor Douglas. Here are
excerpts from a representative few:
Robin Long, MEd, of Cavendish to
Secretary Rod Paige:
As a member of the National Education
Association, let me keep you abreast of my terrorist acts. I spend countless
hours working on lesson plans, correcting papers and trying to find creative
ways to educate my students. I teach them history, spelling, reading,
geography, science, math, writing, grammar and technology... Probably the most
egregious thing that I try to instill is self confidence and the ability to
think for themselves... Be clear sir, the NEA is an organization of TEACHERS.
You have insulted me and my colleagues and we will remember.
Diane Alberts of Rutland to
Governor Jim Douglas:
...That you are unfriendly to public
education in Vermont has been evidenced by your appointments to the State Board
of Education, your public statements about Vermont schools, your support for
the most draconian provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, and your
timidity in “requesting” that the president fully fund his own NCLB
law as well as the chronically underfunded special education law. Be that as it
may, as our governor, you still owe it to the thousands of educators who center
their lives on the improvement of the education of Vermont’s children
every day and often throughout that “long summer vacation” to defend
them against such callous statements....
Alison Sylvester of Huntington to
Gov. Jim Douglas:
When I decided to become a teacher the last
thing I thought I would be called is a terrorist. I cannot believe the audacity
of Education Secretary Rod Paige for even associating educators with
terrorists! ... I am also appalled that you did not stand up for the teachers
of Vermont. I am deeply disappointed and concerned in your lack of action....
Ann Lauterbach of Putney to Pres.
Bush:
I am writing to urge you to ask for Education Secretary
Rod Paige’s resignation. I am disturbed that a member of your
administration would discuss the NEA in this manner. It is important that this
organization question the No Child Left Behind Act if they have concerns. The
NEA and the teachers they represent have worked in the field of education for
their entire careers and you and your administration would be wise to listen
carefully to their concerns, instead of berating and alienating thousands of
educators across the entire country... If you only listen to your tight circle
of advisors and close yourself off to the rich diversity of ideas in the
country, you will be doing all of us a great disservice.
Robert Raskevitz of East Randolph
to Secretary Paige:
I have been a member of the National
Education Association for almost twenty years. I take your calling the NEA a
“terrorist organization” as a personal and professional affront. As a
public educator I worked tirelessly for the welfare of children, my community
and my nation. Democracy requires an informed citizenry. Informed discussion,
debate and disagreement are the hallmarks of our great nation. Next Tuesday, I
will gather together with the other citizens of my small Vermont town at town
meeting. We will elect our officers, adopt our school and municipal budgets,
plan for the future, and discuss any other items of business that come before
our assemblage. Having attended and served as Moderator at many town meetings,
I know there will be spirited debate over many items. Disagreements will erupt
and tempers will flare. However, I also know that my fellow citizens will not
resort to name-calling or hate speech. We will respect each other and our
differences and we will leave neighbors and friends for another year. I should
have the right to the same treatment by the U.S. Secretary of Education....
Deb Lowe-Murray of Swanton to
Governor Jim Douglas:
I am dismayed to see that you condoned
Sec. Paige’s maligning of teachers who are members of a reputable
professional organization—the NEA—including teachers in Vermont. Are
we returning to an era in which persons of differing points of view are
“convicted” of being unpatriotic and even terrorist? I do not take
Sec. Paige’s accusation lightly, nor do I excuse his comment as a poor
choice of words. I am most disheartened by your lack of appreciation for the
injustice of his comments, and Sec. Paige’s lack of respect for civil
discourse between stakeholders over the direction of education in the U.S.
Bruce J. (Ike) Bergeron of
Brattleboro to President Bush:
Please ask Secretary of Education
Rod Paige for his resignation today. To have the highest ranking education
officer of the United States government joke about the National Education
Association is an embarrassment to all educators. No public official today can
“joke” about terrorism. To combine the NEA and terrorism into one
“joke” is an insult to the people who teach our future – the
students and our country...
Charles Wanzer of Cabot to
Secretary Rod Paige:
...I am a hard working, dedicated,
professional teacher and am insulted by your remarks. The NEA and my State
organization, the Vermont-NEA, are strong advocates for public school students
and their public schools and in no way espouse terrorism. ...Remarks such as
what you made hinder a necessary working relationship between Washington and
the States. Perhaps you ought to resign if you feel this way.
Kaiya Korb of Montpelier to Sec.
Rod Paige:
...I’m extremely hard-working and dedicated to
trying to make public education really work — I spend more than 70 hours a
week up to my elbows in this endeavor. The NEA has been a terrific resource to
me, as both a new and an experienced teacher, in pursuing this goal. I have
reviewed NCLB legislation somewhat warily, finding a few good points and many
that leave me questioning. This questioning is always with the goal of creating
a system that can work. To hear such thoughtful, professional dialogue
classified as “terrorist” activity is one of the greatest affronts I
have heard uttered. Our schools are the backbone of our nation — I would
think you would appreciate this more than most. To vilify the primary
organization which supports and gives voice to the teachers that form this
backbone is beyond inappropriate. It is inexcusable...
Kathy Buley of South Burlington to
Governor Jim Douglas::
I was stunned and outraged that Education
Secretary Rod Paige called my professional organization a "terrorist
organization". I am also greatly disappointed that your only response to this
offensive attack on the teachers of Vermont and America was: (as quoted by the
Washington Post) 'Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said, "Somebody asked
him about the NEA's role and he offered his perspective on it." '
I have
been a teacher for twenty five years. I am sure that you belong to professional
organizations that educate and represent you on issues related to your career.
The National Education Association is my professional organization. It
represents me on issues that are important to me as a professional educator. To
have the highest ranking education officer of the United States government call
me a terrorist because I do not share the ill-advised viewpoints of the current
administration is an outrage that I will not soon forget. I will most certainly
remember it as I head to the polls in November.
It is my understanding
that these remarks were related to a discussion of school vouchers. I teach in
a Title I school. There are legitimate, reasonable, and unanswered questions
that teachers have which prevent us from supporting school vouchers and choice.
Attempts to categorize public school teachers as obstructionists is simply an
attempt to marginalize our valid concerns in order to promote the elitist
agenda of the school choice lobby.
I believe that you owe the teachers of
Vermont recognition for the hard work they do on a daily basis for the children
of Vermont, and your lukewarm response to Education Secretary Paige's remarks
fall far short of that goal. I sincerely hope that the teachers of Vermont will
be hearing from you soon in an affirmation of their dedication and
professionalism.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie
issued this public statement on February 24:
Lt. Governor Brian
Dubie says, “Our teachers are not terrorists.”
Montpelier -
Vermont Lt. Governor Brian Dubie today issued a statement following US
Secretary of Education Rod Paige’s characterization of the National
Teachers’ Association as a “terrorist organization.” Dubie said,
“I have seen what terrorists do. As an Air Force Reservist at the time of
the September 11 attacks, I went to Ground Zero to coordinate emergency
response services. I will never forget the scenes of destruction and horror.
That was the work of terrorists. “Teachers are not terrorists. Vermont
teachers work hard every day to help our kids learn and grow. They deserve
better.” Dubie observed, “Secretary Paige has said that he regrets
his remarks. We all say things we regret at times. I just want our teachers to
know I, for one, recognize and value their dedication to our kids, and
appreciate the hard work they do.”
Chittenden East Superintendent
Gail Conley sent this letter to President Bush::
Dear President
Bush:
Please ask Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, for his resignation
today. Secretary Paige’s joke about the NEA is an embarrassment to all
educators. No public official today can “joke” about terrorism. To
combine the NEA and terrorism into one “joke” is an insult to our
teachers, our students and our country. Please do not let another day pass
without accepting Secretary Paige’s resignation on our behalf
Sincerely,
Dr. Gail B. Conley
Superintendent of Schools
Cc: Governor James Douglas
US Representative Bernie Sanders
US
Senator James Jeffords
US Senator Patrick Leahy
Vermont NEA
Carol D. Barbagallo of Rutland to
President Bush:
I am proud to be a teacher and a member of NEA
for over 25 years. I am incensed by Secretary of Education Paige's inflammatory
and insensitive comments about a group of hard working, conscientious
individuals who have dedicated their life's work to building children's self
esteem and character. In one slash of the tongue, Mr. Paige created an
incendiary situation, by his reckless use of a vocabulary that sends chills
through all decent humans. This can only be resolved by his resignation. It is
time for you to stand up for the millions of dedicated professionals, who teach
their students that in America we have free speech and the right to disagree,
by calling for Secretary Paige’s resignation.
Edward F. Daniel of Swanton to
Governor Douglas:
Please find enclosed a copy of a letter that I
sent to President Bush this evening regarding the statement made by Secretary
of Education Paige this week where he labeled the National Education
Association as a terrorist organization. This is an insult to the thousands of
dedicated teachers in Vermont and the nation who instruct our students in
American patriotism, our beloved freedoms, and our system of justice each day.
Had I ever used such terms in regard to the President or members of his cabinet
in the classroom I would have been disciplined and no doubt asked for my
resignation. Please join me and thousands of other educators asking for his
resignation.
Jane Phillips of Milton to
Governor Douglas:
I am extremely disappointed that you did not
stand up for Vermont Teachers and Education Support Professionals immediately
(nor at any time that I am aware of) after our Secretary of Education made his
appalling remark on 2/23 that "...NEA is a terrorist organization." Your lame
lament that he merely "...offered his perspective" bypassed the extremely
important issue of the lack of respect and leadership that Mr. Paige displayed.
Furthermore it showed that you were unwilling to come to our defense against
such an outrageous hateful statement. This is a human issue not a political
issue. Even though you disagree with someone, you can still do the right thing.
Your silence is deafening. Thankfully the Lieutenant Governor was not afraid to
be supportive of Teachers and Education Support Professionals.
Jo Anne Wazny to Secretary
Paige:
I take offense at your recent comments to the nation's
governors, calling our teachers' union (me and all other members),
"terrorists." I have been teaching since 1986, when I had a starting salary of
$14,000 with a B.A. and 20 year's business experience. Working with my fellow
union members, I am now up to the 30's, still a far cry from salaries earned by
other professionals with comparable education. I include these facts for you to
think about as you cash your paycheck and to point out why unions are
necessary.
I cannot even begin to address the effort and emotion that goes
into working in a room full of children with individual, diverse needs...or the
comments that teachers only work half a day, though most cart home tons of
papers and planning for evenings and weekends...or the damage done to school
communities by NCLB. We have had to defend ourselves against such comments for
ages.
I would hope that the Secretary of Education would be an advocate
for children and their teachers, but instead of taking advantage of the
opportunity presented by an audience of governors to make a plea for improved
respect for teachers or salaries comparable to those paid in business, you
chose to call us "terrorists."
You do not belong in the job you hold. While
I think it is unlikely that you will act on the calls (including mine) for your
resignation, I can only hope that November brings us a new administration that
cares about children and teachers. As a patriotic American, I take my rights
and responsibilities very seriously, and I DO vote.
Katy Farber to Secretary
Paige:
Mr. Paige, I was extremely disappointed to hear of your
recent comments aligning the NEA with a terrorist group. As a teacher for fifth
and sixth grade students, I place a strong emphasis on community building,
developing empathy, and communicating feelings clearly. Your comments reflect a
lack of respect not only to our students, because you are a role-model, but
also to the countless educators hard at work everyday, for very little pay and
rewards. As the U.S. Secretary of Education, I find this even more
disheartening. The NEA has been invaluable in raising the professionalism of
teaching. They work hard to promote fair salaries, equitable and reasonable
working conditions, and to provide professional development to educators. We
need the NEA, and their work is honorable. I teach my students to accept
responsibility for their mistakes. Your apology was not full-hearted and
earnest, it only made the situation worse. As a teacher and citizen I am
extremely disappointed in your remarks.
Mitch Davis of Brattleboro to
Governor Douglas:
I am outraged to know that the highest
ranking education official of my federal government considers the professional
organization, of which I am a member, to be a terrorist organization. As a
professional educator for the past 31 years, I deserve his, and your, respect
and thanks. His recent remark to the assembled governors falls far short of
respect and is anything but thankful. In these times, labeling any American
professional organization as "terrorist" is highly inappropriate and highly
suspect. I cannot place any faith in an educational leader who lacks the
integrity for the position. Given his recent statements and subsequent action,
I cannot place any faith in him. I was disappointed to learn that your reaction
to his remark lacked anything of substance. I urge you to reconsider your
reaction and request his resignation as Secretary Of Education immediately.
Olga Hebert to Secretary
Paige:
Mr. Paige: As an educator, I try to maintain a sense of
humor. I find it useful in that a sense of humor can often be instructive, and,
at the very least,a help in preserving a little sanity in an increasingly
stressful world. However, the realities of that stressful world--9/11,
Columbine. being significant examples--make the words "terrorism" and "joke"
antithetic. We are not amused. |