The BCEA Screening Committee is made up of regular members, like you, including Bergen County teachers, ESP’s, Bergen Community College staff, and retirees. The committee reviews the questionnaires and interviews the candidates who are running for Bergen County Executive and Commissioners. These elected officials have control/influence over the budgets and some policies of Bergen County Academy, Bergen County Technical Schools, Bergen County Special Services, Bergen County Vocational Programs and Bergen County Community College, whose employees are members of the BCEA.
After interviewing candidates and reviewing candidate questionnaires, voting records (if applicable) and pro-public school activities, the non-partisan committee decides if they should make an endorsement to our members. Interviews and questionnaires could include information about school funding, vouchers, benefits, shared services and many other topics.
The BCEA Screening Committee is proud to endorse the following candidates for County Executive and County Commissioners due to their support and beliefs in our public schools, including:
*Increasing funding to Bergen County Academy.
*Increasing funding to Bergen County Technical Schools
*Increasing funding to Bergen County Special Services
*Their support to expanding Bergen Vo-Tech Programs
*Increasing funding to Bergen Community College
*Working with BCEA to establish two COVID vaccine events in the early days of COVID
*Being available and participating in school events, such as the BCA Chocolate Competition and Read Across America
*Being available and attending BCEA events
*Honoring BCEA Members, through the County Teacher of the Year and Teacher Appreciation Week
On the Federal Level, the NEA and NJEA host their own screening committees (unless they are a friendly incumbent, which means they vote with our members on our most important issues a super majority of the time) and our Congressional Endorsements are:
NJEA has announced its Congressional endorsements, all of whom have demonstrated a commitment to students, public education and working families.
Those candidates are:
CD 1 – Donald Norcross
CD 3 – Andy Kim
CD 5 – Josh Gottheimer
CD 6 – Frank Pallone
CD 7 – Tom Malinowski
CD 8 – Robert Menendez, Jr.
CD 9 – Bill Pascrell
CD 10 – Donald Payne, Jr.
CD 11 – Mikie Sherrill
CD 12 – Bonnie Watson Coleman
NJEA’s officers, President Sean M. Spiller, Vice President Steve Beatty and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson, released this statement:
“Our union is proud to endorse these candidates. They have demonstrated through their actions and positions that they are advocates for public education and for working families. Those facing re-election have stood with educators through these difficult past two years and we believe those facing their first election will stand with educators as we have worked to ensure that our schools are safe and that our students are learning. Their commitment to equity and to justice for all is exactly what we need in Washington, DC right now and we are committed to working hard for their re-election so they get to continue that important work next year. An endorsement from our 200,000-member union comes with our pledge of support on the campaign trail as they make their case to voters and promote a vision for moving our state and our nation forward to a fairer, more equitable and more just future.”
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Now some members ask why certain candidates are not endorsed…it has nothing to do with political party, it has to do with a candidate’s beliefs and positions on public schools. Do you really want your union fighting for candidates that want to Cut YOUR benefits? Cut YOUR pension? Cut funding & programs to YOUR school/students? Support Vouchers/Charters that take money away from your public schools? Mandate teacher evaluations based on standardized test scores??? A candidate’s positions are very important in the endorsement process. Remember, the Screening Committee is made up of “regular” teachers and ESPS…people who are “in the trenches” with you. They strive to find the candidates that will protect and fight for public schools, the students and the staff.
(Some of the candidates do NOT even attend the screening or answer their questionnaire: ALWAYS BEWARE…another candidate who did NOT attend the NJEA screening committee (but claimed to support educators during his first election)… was Chris Christie and LOOK how THAT turned out… Chapter 78, Smaller Pensions for Members, No COLA, Limited Payments to Fund Pension System, Huge Budget/Staff Cuts to Public Schools and a Teacher Evaluation System based on test scores!)
