On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders received an important endorsement ahead of the Democratic caucus in Nevada from the Clark County Education Association (CCEA) District’ teachers union. BuzzFeed News reports that the Clark County School District is the “fifth-largest school district in the country,” and the union represents 19,000 educators.
NBC News 3 in Las Vegas reports that the union made the decision based on a straw poll of registered democratic voters registered with the CCEA. Clark County Education Association President Vikki Courtney told Buzzfeed that Sen. Sanders had reached out to the organization to set up a time to speak with them to show his appreciation. Asked about concerns other Union leaderships have voiced over Sanders’ proposed universal healthcare plan, Courtney said that the CCEA members were more focused on the candidate’s education plans: “He is concerned about access to education for kids, for students themselves but also for the adults who are the educators. The student loan debt is part of that idea, it is hard to achieve when it costs so much to go to school. And that part is important because we’re lacking educators. We’re 1000 teachers short here in Nevada."
Sen. Sanders wrote on Twitter: “Thank you @cceanv for your support! Together, we will finally give teachers a much-deserved raise, reinvest in public education and create an education system that benefits students no matter their background or socioeconomic status.
The Nevada caucus is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22.