Biden wins endorsements from nearly 200 South Carolina teachers, education leaders
A group of nearly 200 South Carolina teachers and education leaders are backing former Vice President Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency, according to the campaign.
The endorsements, shared first with The State, come one month before South Carolina Democrats hold their “first in the South” primary election on Feb. 29. It’s a contest Biden has dominated so far, according to polls which favor him over his pack of competitors by double digits.
Wednesday’s announcement of Biden’s backing from S.C. educators, including 20 from Richland and Lexington counties, also comes on the same day teachers from around the state, organized by the SC for Ed grassroots teacher advocacy group, are scheduled to lobby legislators on improving public schools in the state. The same group organized a 10,000 teacher march at the State House calling for better working conditions, pay raises and less testing among other things.
SC for Ed said it does not plan to make an endorsement in the presidential race.
The endorsements include Dick Riley, the former S.C. governor and U.S. secretary of education, and Inez Tenenbaum, the former Obama administration official and S.C. superintendent of education. Riley and Tenenbaum were named co-chairs of the campaign’s South Carolina Educators for Biden efforts.
“In his decades of public service, Joe Biden has always remained laser focused on providing students and educators the resources they need to succeed,” Tenenbaum said in a news release. “As the husband of a teacher, he knows the challenges facing the education system and has a bold plan to address it.”
Part of Biden’s education platform includes investing in preschool and pre-kindergarten programs, and tripling Title I funding given to school districts based on the number of low-income students enrolled to help pay teachers more. He also wants to invest in teacher mentoring and simplify the public service loan forgiveness program to help teachers pay off student debt.
The former vice president also wants to double the number of psychologists and social workers in schools and allow Pell Grants to be used for dual enrollment programs that allow high school students to earn college credit.
Richland One School Board Member Yolanda Anderson also endorsed Biden. Anderson said Jill Biden, the former second lady, is an educator and how that can help Biden understand educational issues.
“What I appreciate about her as an educator, she has her husband’s ear,” Anderson said.
Anderson added she believes Joe Biden would make the right choices that would “trickle down to South Carolina.”
“What I think is it starts at the top; there’s got to be changes made,” Anderson said.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
