Senator Flanagan referred to the teachers’ union as “forces of evil” during an appearance on an Albany radio program earlier this week.
"It's simply the latest effort to demonize teachers, and it benefits no one. Our teachers face challenging times as their role has increasingly become educator and social worker. They need our support, not elected officials name-calling," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"Our teachers are always a convenient target for some Republicans, a disturbing trend that has far- reaching and long-lasting impacts on our state," she said.,
Assemblywoman Jenne called on her challenger, Mark Walczyk, to join her in denouncing Majority Leader Flanagan for his intemperate remarks.
"I will continue to push back against those who that undermine our teachers and empower Albany bureaucrats. Our teachers know what’s best for North Country students, and I’ll continue fighting to return local control to our communities," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"As a parent of school school-age children, I’ve seen the dedication of our teachers firsthand, and the additional work they undertake when politicians decide to 'reform' education," she noted.
Assemblywoman Jenne has always fought for North Country teachers and students. She secured record increases in education funding and passed a measure to delink teacher evaluations from standardized testing. She has also secured over $1 million in supplemental state aid for school districts in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties over the past two years.
Assemblywoman Jenne also spearheaded Beverly Ouderkirk’s nomination to the New York State Board of Regents. Ms. Ouderkirk's work on the board has helped reduce testing and empower teachers to play a larger role in setting education policy.
"These kinds of baseless attacks harm our education system. I will not stand silent and allow misguided political leaders to bash our hardworking educators. We should be doing more to support our teachers. We need high quality, dedicated teachers to educate our citizens, our future workforce,"
Assemblywoman Jenne stressed.
She noted teachers have been leaving the profession early and teacher preparation programs, like the one at SUNY Potsdam, have seen sharp declines in enrollment in recent years.
"Attacking teachers is not the solution; it's part of the problem. How can we expect students to behave in school when politicians don’t treat teachers with common decency and respect? I was raised to respect my teachers, and I'm raising my children the same way," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
