With the constant media attention surrounding who will be our next President, it is very easy to forget about the importance surrounding the other offices which will be elected this upcoming November. With the current Governor’s pledge of ignoring the budgetary needs of the citizens of Nevada, it will be very important that we, the members of the Washoe Education Association, are at the forefront of the fight to elect pro-public education legislators. So how can you help with this battle?
The first, and most effective, is to be a registered voter so you can vote on the all-important Election Day. If you are not a registered voter or are not sure, you can ask your building rep for a voter registration form. A secondary method of helping our candidates win is to volunteer for their campaigns – either by phone banking, walking for the candidates or (if possible) participating in the quickly developing cyber-volunteering. Our state Government Relations Director (Julie Whitacre) will be asking for volunteers over the next few months. If you need more information, please contact Julie at julie.whitacre@nsea-nv.org or 800-248-6732
Another way members can be involved is by donating to TIP (Together in Politics). TIP helps elect pro-public education candidates to our state, local and national offices and helps us fight all those nasty anti-education vouchers. So – what exactly is TIP? It is a voluntary donation to the political fund of the WEA, the NSEA or the NEA. You can fill out any of the three forms (or even all three) and have money go to the political arm of the WEA, the NSEA and the NEA. This additional money can be basically “added” onto the dues you currently pay so you do not need to worry about writing a check at the end of the month and/or year – it is taken out automatically. The forms can be obtained from your building rep. or at the WEA office.
Why is it so important to give money to TIP? A simple question, but an incredibly complex (not to mention multi-layered) answer! The “short” answer: the opponents of public education have a large war chest and are not scared to use it. This money allows us (or at least helps us) in the battle to help elect candidates who are pro-public education. PLEASE help us elect the candidates who will protect (and even increase) public education funding!