FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
press@dfer.org
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) Executive Director Joe Williams issued the following statement on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s reelection:
“Chicago showed up today and voted for what parents across the country support: expanded pre-K, more instruction time in the classroom, the ability to choose to send their child to the best school they can, and the basic value that all students, regardless of where they grew up, have access to a high-quality education.
“Given a choice between a proven education reformer versus the handpicked candidate of the teachers union who opposed the longer school day and vowed to limit school choice, Chicagoans clearly chose the reformer.
“Tonight is a reminder that the Democratic Party has been and will continue to be the party of progress, the party that doesn’t merely acquiesce to powerful special interests, but rather stands up for those who have no voice—the student who walks every day to a failing school, the parent who works two jobs in the hope of giving their child opportunities they never had.
“As Americans and Democrats, we always aspire to be better. To hold ourselves and our children to a high bar. We as a nation achieve more when we focus on improving public education. No amount of political rhetoric will change that.
“Congratulations to Mayor Emanuel, and thank you to the people of Chicago for standing up on behalf of all of Chicago’s students. There’s more work to be done in Chicago and elsewhere, and we look forward to Mayor Emanuel’s continued efforts to improve public education.”
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