This so much, senator elizabeth biden, whodr. Jill happens to be married to the Vice President , who happens to be the democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of america. I guess that is not fully formed until a few weeks from now, but i think we can bet he will be the democratic nominee. With senator warren and with dr. Biden, we have several other educators, because as you know, senator warren and dr. Biden are both educators, and those are afd leaders from across the crawfordand melissa and jerry jordan from philadelphia and pennsylvania. Ultimately, we are talking about reopening schools, which is on the top of the mind of virtually everyone in the country. We, at the aft really want to reopen School Safely for our kids and for the staff. Kids everywith our single day, and we did not hear anything from the president about this for weeks, until after joe biden spoke at the Convention Earlier last week, lifting up educators, pledging support for public education, and now suddenly, President Trump and betsy devos have woken up about schools and reopening after being completely silent for months. Instead of doing what we can usually count on a president to do in terms of leading with a plan that keeps teachers, kids, families safe, trump is demanding schools and campuses reopen without funding any of the necessary measures to do so safely, rejecting the cdc guidance, and he and betsy devos, unlawfully threatening to withhold funds if schools dont reopen. That is not president ial. That is not nice. That is reckless and dangerous, and it is purely political on his part. It abandons children, it abandons educators in the midst of a pandemic. States across the country have spiking cases. The truth is, american teachers dont want to wait for a vaccine to reopen schools. We know Public Schooling and inschool attendance is vitally important for our kids. But teachers and students need a real plan to reopen our schools and resources to do it safely. Our members know that. 76 of them support going back to School Buildings if we have the proper safe protocols, such as physical distancing of six feet, masks and other ppe, proper cleaning and ventilation, and reasonable accommodations for those at risk. We know our kids need to go back to school. We know what you know, Remote Learning is a supplement. It doesnt substitute for in school learning. 86 of our educators found it didnt really meet the needs even though they were herculean in trying to help turn on a dime to do remote education. It is not just the loss of learning that worries educators. Teachers are concerned about, parents are concerned about kids, how they are doing, feeling isolated. So many kids have told us that losing a loved one, Food Insecurity at home, and we know our kids need the personal engagement and the socialization. Ultimately, you know everything i pretty much have said, but teachers and parents want to make sure this year is a good year for kids. Next year, or this year, the next few weeks, will likely be a hybrid of remote, mixed and inperson instruction. There is nothing normal about that, but there is nothing normal about the time we are in. We are facing these three crises, the Racial Justice crisis, the pandemic and economic crisis, and there needs to be people who help us meet that moment. Frankly, what you have today is, you have not only our leaders here who are helping meet that moment, but you have two amazing leaders in senator Elizabeth Warren and dr. Jill biden who really are listening, and to understand kids and communities and schools and educators. So i want to start with senator warren. I said, do you see . We even have a plan for reopening schools . Senator warren has thought about more things around education that i think any other human being i have ever met in my life. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Sen. Warren thank you. Hello, aft. Im so happy to have this chance to be on a call with some of the strongest, hardest working and most dedicated people in the country. Americas Public School teachers and counselors and cafeteria workers and bus drivers, the people who devote their lives to educating our children, im so grateful to all of you. I never thought i would end up in politics, not in a million years. When i ran for office, i quickly this covered nobody does this on their own. I learned that to be effective, it is critical to have allies who know how to get the job done. Allies like my dear friend randi weingarten. You know how to get out there every day and make it happen. I want to give a shout out to to someone who has been a longtime advocate for students and for hardworking families. The next first lady of the United States, dr. Jill biden. Educators deserve a partner in the white house, and with President Joe Biden and first lady, dr. Jill biden, they wont get one advocate, they will get two and that is what we need. This is a time of crisis for our nation, and across the country, the fight for social, racial, and Economic Justice has reached a new threshold. As we fight for justice, we are also fighting to stem the tide of the coronavirus outbreak. This pandemic has already killed more than 130,000 americans. The trump administrations response to the Public Health crisis has been cruel, heartless, and incompetent. So today, as families are suffering and they are sick and they are scared, Donald Trumps administration has basically just given up the fight to try to stem the tide of this crisis. Teachers and families have worked hard to try to keep kids learning during this crisis. But the federal government has failed our students and failed our schools, and betsy devos has spent the entire pandemic finding new ways to shovel millions of taxpayer dollars into private schools. In congress, republicans have failed to provide schools with the resources they need to be able to weather this storm. We know Distance Learning just isnt the same as being in school. We know Distance Learning has been devastating for some of our kids, particularly for kids of color. That is why we all want schools to be able to open, but only when they can open safely. I have news for President Trump and the republicans who are trying to politicize the safety and wellbeing of our students. You cant just snap your fingers and reopen the schools. Forcing schools to reopen without providing them with the resources they need to do so safely, or the flexibility to be able to respond to outbreaks in their community, is both dangerous and reckless. Reopening schools is going to require careful planning that puts the safety of students, teachers, staff, all first, and provides the methodology and the attention needed to present prevent the spread of covid in our schools and our communities. And that is why it is so critically important that teachers and school staff have to be at the table for these decisions. We need a secretary of education who will work with teachers to help the states and districts develop reopening plans based on the best available Public Health information. Instead of spending her time sending buckets of emergency taxpayer money to private schools. We need real leadership in the white house, starting with the president , to significantly reduce the spread of this virus. We need a congress that will act fast to invest real money in stabilizing our state and local governments, our childcare and our k12 schools, instead of blocking critical aid to schools and to states. There are lots of ways to accomplish these goals, but time is of the essence. We know we face an uphill battle here, but this, this is the fight that we have been called to come of fight to build an america that provides educators with the support and the respect that they need and deserve. An america that builds a better tomorrow for every child from birth, so regardless of their zip code, their family income, their race or their ability, they are safe and their opportunities look pretty much like everyone elses. An america that can only be possible with joe and jill biden in the white house. Unmute myself. Thank you, senator. That was also an amazing testament to our next speaker, who many of us know from the obama years, but dr. Jill biden was a k12 teacher and a Community College professor. During the entire time that her husband was the Vice President , she kept her job teaching students. We are the largest higher ed union, we have a lot of Community College professors, but they are a special breed in that there is a sense of the pathway that they help kids find, and the ladder they help kids climb from generation to generation. Dr. Biden lives this, breathes this, this is her soul, and you can see why i was saying this to senator warren and dr. Biden unity can see why the platform that came out a couple days ago was really so much the heart and soul of what we believe in. That is a large testament to the person who is at joe bidens side all the time, dr. Jill biden. Dr. Biden thank you. Randi, you are fierce and tireless. For more than a decade, you have been the face of this dynamic and powerful group of educators. You fight for us every day. Joe and i are incredibly proud of the leaders and organizations who have chosen to stand by us. As an educator myself, having the aft on our side means so much to me personally. Thank you for your leadership and your support. Thank you, senator warren, for joining us today. As a fellow educator, advocate, and as a senator, elizabeth, you have been an inspiration to so many people across our country for many, many years. You have fought for students and middleclass families and the values that our nation aspires to live up to. With every selfie and pinky promise, you reminded young women across this nation that yes, they, too, belong in the white house. Because running for president is what girls do. But you didnt do it alone. Bruce and bailey were always by your side. Being the spouse of a candidate can be a real experience that not a lot of people relate to. So i enjoyed getting to know bruce, as well. Thank you for all that you have done for this nation and for your support in this race. Hello, everyone at aft. It is so wonderful to be with the aft membership. Many of whom have been on our front lines during this pandemic, and so many passionate educators. I know a lot of you have been working hard to get the heroes act passed in the senate. I want to thank you for that. Before we jump into our conversation, i want to tell you a quick story. A few years ago i went to puerto rico to see a school in a Poor Community of punto santiago. Six months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, the effects of the storm were still present. The schoolyard remained piled with debris. Most of the buses were destroyed. As well as the parents vehicles. Students as young as five years old had to walk miles and miles to school. This was an american school, and the students there missed so much time in the classroom that they lost the entire academic year. Yet, amidst the devastation, i saw hope growing like dandelions through concrete. The children laughed as they practiced their grammar lessons, and with saintly patience, the teachers would refocus the kid attention and on top of the dark, shoulderhigh water lines that stained the walls, the teachers had pasted cheerful colorful paper flowers. In the face of devastation, i saw the strength of the human spirit. The determination to create something beautiful for our children. Because that is what educators do. Make something out of nothing, inspire, instill confidence. We have seen it again and again during this crisis. Many of you learned to teach online nearly overnight. With creativity, you figured how to reach children who dont have the internet or devices at home. You have been sounding boards, counselors, and social workers, and so much more. Many of you have done it while trying to guide your own children to Remote Learning. If there is one thing we have seen over these last few months, it is that schools are not just places where our children learn. They are the safe havens where students find counsel, purpose, and friendship. And they give parents the ability to focus on their careers and support families knowing their children are safe. It has also shown us the deep inequities in our system. Less access to technology and the internet, Food Insecurity, and the anxiety that comes from poverty. Safety, opportunity, and education cant be dependent on your race, family income, or zip code. And that is why we have to get reopening our schools right. A generation of students, families, and educators are counting on us to prevent the spread of this virus. And empower them to grow, and invest in our future. Our future. Joe understands that, and that is why schools are a key part of his vision of how we should reopen our economy safely. He knows that schools are going to need funds to keep them, to keep staff and students safe with protective gear. They are going to need help making sure classrooms can socially distance, and they are going to need to make sure the students have access to broadband and other technologies if we continue to rely on Remote Learning. They are going to need more Mental Health support to deal with the trauma of this pandemic, and i cant stress that enough. Joe also understands that the best policies dont come from politics, sorry elizabeth, they come from listening to educators like all of you. And you know better than anyone what your students need, and you need to be leading our efforts. Not being told what you should do by politicians who have never set foot in a Public School classroom. When joe is president , he will make sure that you have the funding, guidance, and support that you need. He will lift up your voice and make sure your right to organize is protected. And, randi, you know this, he will appoint a secretary of education who has actually taught Public School and cares as much about our kids as you do. Most of all, he will listen to educators. He will have to because he will be sharing the white house with one. That is why i am here today, to listen, to learn, to take your stories back to joe and our campaign, and to thank you again for joining us and thank you for your work. We are so proud to have the aft on our side. Now, im going to turn it back to randi. Randi thank you. And thank you, senator warren. Yes, look, i grew up in a family where i still called my parent friends mr. And misses. So, sorry. Senator warren, dr. Biden, we love you and we know everyone is watching, and after you have heard them, you can understand the deep conviction to the work that we do, and our members do, every single day to make a difference in the lives of children and students and young adults, and to really want to make sure that this moment is one where we can actually lead to hope and aspiration and overcome fear and anxiety, but we know we need leadership, and that is why we are really so excited about the Vice President , and i have said this before, i will say it again, he was the person i went to all the time in the obama administration, and he listened to us. He didnt always agree, but he really listened in the kind of respectful way, and tried to make things right, and that is who we have not just in joe biden, but in dr. B. And senator warren. They try to make things right, to make government work for people. I just want to have each of our panelists speak for a few minutes, then open it up to other questions. We asked our panelists not to take on the waterfront. Some of you saw that i was reading my notes because i can go on and on if i dont. But i want to make sure we hit several of the real issues that are being raised and our members care about in terms of safely opening, reasonable accommodations, what about the kids needs, what about money and the heroes act . Each of our speakers are going to take one piece of this in stead of all of it. Jerry jordan is the president of aft local three. We always compete between chicago, which is local one, new york city, which i was the president and michael is now, local two, and jerry jordan, president of local three in philadelphia. He serves as the vice chair of afts human and Civil Rights Committee and he taught english to speakers of other languages prior to becoming an officer of philly is a place where there are lots of ventilation problems, yet the local has really tried to figure out how to get those problems solved and how to reopen schools safely. With that, i want, jerry will talk about at risk students and their there needs needs, and what we need to do. Dr. Jordan thank you very much, randi and senator warren and dr. Biden. I thank you all for your unwavering leadership. Now more than ever, your efforts will be central as we work to heal our nation in so many ways and address headon what randi describes as a triple crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recession, and systemic racism. For decades, the criminal underfunding of our schools has had a catastrophic effect on the lives of millions of our students across the nation. Here in philadelphia, where the vast majority of our students are black and brown, and over 80 live in poverty, this triple crisis has had profound ramifications. Most marginalized among us are the ones who have suffered most during these crises, and every single decision about reopening School Buildings must address this profound inequity. And now, amidst rising cases of covid across the nation, the occupant of the white house has once again shown his absolute disregard for science and, quite frankly, for humanity. I was disgusted when i read that trump referred to cdc guidelines as very tough and expensive, and prompting the current Vice President to shortly thereafter indicate that cdc would be revising the guidelines. Here in philadelphia, the Philadelphia Federation of teachers has been working tirelessly to advocate for the needs of the children we serve and the educators who serve them. We have conducted three surveys among our membership on the closure of School Buildings, and we clearly note the significant concern are members have about covid19, Remote Learning, and reopening of schools. Let me be very clear. My membership wants to be in schools, teaching facetoface. Their efforts during this crisis, in partnership with students and parents, has been nothing short of heroic. And they have been the first to note that fundamentally, Remote Learning does not work for the majority of the children. Our teachers are miracle workers. But i ask you, how do you teach reading remotely to firstgraders or second graders or third graders . It is hard, but our teachers rose to the challenge. Even more challenging for students with special needs, english language learners, and homeless students, and we have many students who depend on our schools for the main meals they get during the day. Consider the thousands of students in philadelphia with special needs. Senator warren, as a former special education teacher, you know firsthand the promise and vulnerability of our youngsters with special needs. Theirs needs to be complex. Some students are medically fragile. Some need hand over hand learning. Others may need speech or occupational therapy, and some may need a onetoone support staff member to accommodate their needs. This just doesnt happen from a computer screen. As we design reopening plans, special attention must be paid to ensuring we are doing all we can to meet the needs of our students who suffered so profoundly during school closures. But planning for reopening must be based on a fundamental truth, lives are at stake. Simply stating that cdc guidelines are too expensive is an abject failure of leadership. If we as a society are not pulling out all the stops to ensure that reopening is done safely, then we will only ies already heightened by the covid crisis, and our membership may take the wellplaced skepticism that our schools, so often shortchanged, will be given appropriate resources that are so desperately needed to reopen safely. We know that much of this comes down to funding, and we know that funding comes down to priorities. So as we move forward, all of us must collectively act with urgency and unwavering commitment for the young people and educators we are fortunate enough to serve every day. Thank you, jerry. B and senator warren dont mind, i am going to have melissa and philippe talk, so you get a sense of what we are seeing across the country. Then we will have time forgive and take and hopefully time for questions that are coming in. I am told we have over 70,000 people who are watching us right now, and getting more and more. This is on everyones minds. And melissa, who, thankfully, melissa crofter, who works with governor dewine, the republican governor of ohio, he went to the teachers very early on to say, what is going on . What do you need, things like that, and melissa was one of the first people to write me saying that these are all the issues we see and what we need. She is going to focus on safety, what teachers and students need, reasonable accommodations, and the health tools, which she has been thinking about for several months. Melissa, by the way is not just , president of the federation of ohio teachers, she also serves as secretarytreasurer of the ohio aflcio. Melissa thank you, randi. It is an honor to be on a call with these strong, powerful Women Leaders who have been an inspiration to me. I welcome this opportunity. We have been working for months on how to safely reopen our schools with aft and other stakeholders across the nation, and ask that guidance from the federal, or even honestly, slow guidance coming from the state level, so we know it is going to take a lot of planning, preparation, a lodge of resources, so we couldnt simply sit around and wait for someone to tell us what to do. So we have been working on safe reopening plans, and we have relied heavily on the reopening plan aft put together, the checklist aft put out, which is phenomenal, which ive shared with our governor, on what safety would look like in schools. But, honestly, the past few days have terrified our members. To hear trump get up and say he wants to weaken cdc guidelines, threatening to withhold money from schools if they do Remote Learning. I have had numerous, numerous calls the past few days from teachers who, quite honestly, are scared to death they are going to be forced to go back and work in unsafe conditions, which we are not going to allow to happen. Jerry referred to our teachers and staff as miracle workers, i agree they are miracle workers, but one thing we cannot do is bring someone back to life if they die as a result of working in unsafe working conditions. And when i get calls from teachers who say, you know, i live someone has to live with someone who has an immune compromised system, including my own sister in texas, where Governor Abbott has said, you are going back to school, and she has lung disease and is andhusband has diabetes lung disease. She is terrified of bringing sickness back. A relative in georgetown who is scared to death of going back into a classroom. We have to make sure that our classrooms are as safe as possible. Quite honestly, before the pandemic hit, our schools had trouble getting soap and water in the schools. I had teachers in cleveland tell me they dont even have soap in every one of their schools. We need so much more than soap now. We need the proper ppe. We need hand sanitizer. We need masks. There is so much we need in order for our schools to be safe. And while i wholeheartedly agree that our teachers and support staff and professionals want to be back in school, we cant risk peoples lives to make it happen. So we have to make sure Safety Measures are in place, that we are following support guidelines. And we have to be angry that this happened and fight to make it happen. That is our responsibility. Safety has to be the top concern. And in the absence of 100 Safety Measures, we have to make sure that our educators and support staff and professionals who are high risk have alternatives. They shouldnt have to choose between doing their jobs, that they very much want to do, and taking care of their health. We have to provide alternatives for, how can they do their jobs while working remotely . Candidate remotely teach in the classroom, while someone else is covering the classroom and keeping the classroom safe . For Remote Learning for students who choose not to come to school, a requirement for masks to be worn in classrooms. We have got to look for these alternatives for our members, because they want to be doing the work. I know that aft has been wonderful about looking at all these alternatives, looking at how our members are impacted by ada, making sure that they can apply for disability if they need to apply for disability, but again, safety, alternatives, support for people and making these happen. We also need to make sure, i have referred to this before, that our teachers and professionals and support staff have a voice in what reopening looks like at a local level. What we have seen happen in ohio, we worked hard on a plan with the governor and Ohio Department of education. That plan originally had a lot of mandates in it, and everything goes to a local decision. I keep telling people, local decisions doesnt meet the superintendent or school board makes all the decisions, it means that educators and others in the system are involved in deciding what is safe reopening looks like and how we educate students. We have to be at the table in making these decisions. We also have to have money for professional development to deal not only with what Remote Learning might look like, if we are forced into that situation, but also how to deal with all the trauma that our students are bringing back to the classrooms due to covid19 pandemic and due to all the Racial Injustice happening over the past few months. All these things require resources, and i will let philippe talk more about that, but we cant say enough times that we need the h. E. R. O. E. S. Act to pass. We need that money for our schools. We simply cannot safely reopen our schools and educate our students to the degree we need to educate them, without more resources. And the h. E. R. O. E. S. Act would go a long ways toward making that happen. So thank you very much for joining us and for listening. It gives us a lot of hope to know that we have senator warren on our side, and we have dr. Biden and Vice President biden, hopefully President Biden in a few months, to help us through this situation. Randi thank you, melissa. One thing i want to reiterate that melissa said, which is that in the last 48 hours, we have gotten so many phone calls, and i know fred has as well, from people who now are really wondering whether they can come back. They are taking care of their elderly parents. Many of us are in the sandwich generation. They are taking care of their kids. Even if you are asymptomatic, you dont know if youre carrying the virus. That is part of the reason i am now fearing we are going to have a huge brain drain the very moment our kids need the experience teachers bring, that we are going to have a lot of people saying, im retiring, leaving, im taking leave, i need reasonable accommodation, because of all the distrust they now have in what donald trump and betsy devos will do. You have seen a huge seachange in the last two days because of fear, because of what they have done. Now, that does not make me it just has made our jobs harder, not easier, but we still need that funding. For that, i would like philippe, who is the secretarytreasurer of the new york state united teachers, and he is the first Higher Education member to serve as a ranking officer and is a former teacher of spanish and french in middle school, high school, and college. Philippe good afternoon. Thank you, randi. I am humbled to be part of this panel. Senator warren, pleasure meeting you. Dr. Biden, pleasure to have a fellow teacher on the panel. I want to begin my remarks by going back to 2008, and the fact that there was great damage done and the , lingering effect on funding for education, we are still. Eing felt when covid19 happened, funding for Public Services was inadequate for a pandemic. Emergency funding was no exception. We know that 41 states were spending less on a per student bases been prior to the recession. For k12, the data shows 20 states spending less than they did. The set of affairs was inequitable, and this is what happens, and i will repeat some of what was said before, but it bears repeating, that the state of affairs was inequitable to begin with than the Current Situation exacerbates those inequities. When schools were closed, 15 of u. S. Households and 35 of lowincome households with schoolage children did not have highspeed Internet Connection at home. 15 and 35 , so it affects urban areas as well as rural areas, and those could not afford to miss instruction, even remotely, were left out of that activity. And that doesnt even go to actual items needed, a tablet, if you cant afford one, you are missing out of the instruction as well. To maintain our standing as a world leader, America Needs a welleducated population. This crisis demands that we take bold action and invest in the recovery in the future of america. The c. A. R. E. S. Act was a good beginning, but we cant stop there. Rep. Evans we need the federal h. E. R. O. E. S. Act to be passed by the senate. We need it to be passed because it will help stabilize state and , which havements been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Governors from all 50 states have issued emergency declarations because of their budget, and these governors, democrats and republicans, want to prevent another round of layoffs. If they dont have the funding, they will have to lay off folks, and they are trying to prevent that. Our state, the deficit is 14 billion that the governor is facing. This has a real effect on families, who are already suffering from the crisis. We are seeing faculty cuts in new jersey, program cuts in alaska, cuts from k12 as well. All told, this has had a negative impact on education, especially for people of color. Earlier theentioned pandemic has laid bare what was occurring before, and what was precarious. For example, we also have new needs. Melissa hit on all those things reopening would need, that the which, according to the president , are too expensive. But i want to ask a question about that. How much is a life worth . What is the cost of a life . Returningmbers to be to work and exposed, and their students and their families, without proper ppe, the restructuring of the whole operation, how much is that worth . This is real. This is not a hoax. Folks are dying from this disease. Afthere is a cost, and the has factored that cost. We have about 1. 2 million for school. The h. E. R. O. E. S. Act would go a long way in assisting with that cost and make sure schools are reopening safely, and that children, families, the staff, everyone is safe. I have raw data on numbers and costs, but i will stop there, because i was warned we are short on time. Randi [laughs] you. This is amazing, in being able and this kind of way. I want to bring in fred ingram, because all of this is happening in florida, and the nonsense as the florida cases surge, because thats governor disregarded every health tool and consideration, and they are now rushing to try to reopen schools five days a week, and keeping kids in there as a sardine can, and wonder why we are fighting to actually create safe conditions for kids and educators, and fred is dealing with all of that. So, fred ingram. Fred good afternoon, everybody, i thank you for having me. To our american hero, Elizabeth Warren, thank you, to our future first lady, thank you, and to our american and International Leader randi weingarten, thank you. Florida is the epicenter of this pandemic. Florida is the vortex of this virus. 8048 new cases today. 120 new deaths today. Deaths. People died today from the coronavirus in florida. An 11yearold child died today in Broward County from the coronavirus. Yes, we have a governor that has tied himself to the president of the United States and said hell or high water, full steam ahead, we are opening schools, no matter what. On monday, we get a gross tweet, a message from the president that we will open our schools and the phone the matter what, with no backdrop and no strategy behind that. And our governor says step on the gas and open our schools no no matter what, and you will provide brick and mortar as an option, no matter what. So in a state where we are surrounded by water on three sides, you cant go to some beaches, you cant go to gymnasiums, because they are closed, restaurants are closed or are at 25 , and we are ok with putting hundreds or thousands of kids in a confined area . We dont know what is going to be the outcome, and we wont sit down collaboratively to work out a plan . We dont want to be the petri dish for this nation. And we are asking for some help. We have no trust, no respect for the leadership tied to our federal government because we have not had any leadership from our secretary of education in over three years. 2. 8 million children attend our Public Schools in florida. Over 200,000 School Employees are committed to us getting this right. This is a life or death situation, and we are simply asking for the things that Public Health administrators say. We need social distancing, handwashing stations, smaller class sizes, and we know this is going to cost more money, not less. We have historically grossly underfunded our schools in florida. We are 46th in the nation teacher pay, 43rd in the nation for perpupil spending. It is embarrassing. We need more money. Let me give you an anecdote. If we are going to send our students to school from home on buses, this is costing money. Because we are going to go from seat, a seat to one to a either you are going to have to hire more bus drivers, you are going to have to have new bus routes, or you are going to have to have a fleet of buses that are going to do that, because these buses may be at 25 capacity. And so we want to be in school. Let me just say that i am a High School Band director. I want, more than anything, for our kids to be back with their coaches with their, counselors, counselors, first and second grade teachers, who are almost giddy and ready to get back to school. But we must this safely and we must do this carefully. So we need you, senator warren, to help with the h. E. R. O. E. S. Act. We need you, first lady, second lady, jill biden, soon to be first lady, to keep pushing joe, because we need to get this right. We hang in the balance. Our education professionals are part of this village, secretaries, security monitors, security, bus drivers, they need us. They already make less than a living wage. It is all hitting at one time and i will end, with this. This is the home of one of the greatest educators this nation has known. We are trampling her legacy right now, because she would want us to enter our schools safely, give us options and do this slowly. Thank you, randi, for your time and the opportunity. Randi thank you, all of you. You know, you can hear, and i just want to open it up to the senator and dr. Biden, because we could talk for hours about this. You can hear not only the passion, but our frustration with not having anyone in washington in the Current Administration to work with, despite the fact that we have been on this since february. So let me just open it up. We have talked a lot at dr. Biden and at the senator, so let me open it up to you two. Sen. Warren would you like to start, dr. Biden, or would you like me to . Rep. Blumenauer go ahead. Dr. Biden go ahead. Sen. Warren i know we are tight on time, but just let me make a couple of points. The first is, thank you. I cant tell you how important it is to hear your voices and hear the passion and hear the commitment. But it also reminds me why i am so committed to see joe biden become the next president of the u. S. I listen to all of these problems about the most vulnerable kids, the need for resources, the urgency of the moment, the importance of safety. And how i think about this is, we had a system that was not working before, a system that was under resourced. A system where children, because of the zip code they were born into, their family didnt have resources, that the system had Structural Racism that was part of what these children have to deal with every day. So when i hear what joe biden wants to do, yeah, it is about getting schools open safely now, but it is bigger than that, more it is more systemic than that. It is having an Education System that really works for every one of our educators and works for every one of our kids. Here is what he wants to do. First, put in more resources. He is committed on this, more money into our school system. More money for our kids. More money for our educators. More money to get the job done. We have miracle workers, but theyve got to have resources to work with. The second is to make sure that somebody in charge of this, that the money gets spent the right way. When joe biden says he is not only getting rid of betsy devos hallelujah he also says he is going to put in someone who has taught in Public Schools as secretary of education. That gives me the confidence that it wont just be more money that flows out the door to someone else, but it will be money that goes into our Public Schools, money that goes into strengthening our Public Schools. But the third part i hear from joe biden is the commitment. The commitment. Listen to what randi said, she said year after year, when he was Vice President , when she needed help, she went to see joe biden because he listened, because he got it. And look who joe biden has at his side, dr. Jill biden, someone who has committed her own life to education, from the beginning all the way through. Someone who is there and has been there for our kids, someone who has been there in a Public School system, to see where it works and to see where it needs more help, so it can work better. But that is the kind of commitment that means, if we get the right money, get the right person at the department of education, that we will have two partners in the white house who will make sure that our children get the kind of opportunities that they deserve. I know that i am on this call with the educators who truly believe, the people who have put their whole lives in. I want to see two people in the white house who are committed to making that happen, and that is why i am all in for joe biden, and we have all got to turn out come november 2020. Randi thank you, senator. Dr. Biden you said it so beautifully, and as an educator, i am heartbroken for all the educators and support staff and our students. It is all about leadership. It is all about leadership, and elizabeth give you the parts of joes plan. But i have to tell you i just wish we could just vote today, because joe has a strategy for getting our schools back, and that includes, first and foremost, listening to the cdc and the doctors and the scientists to tell us when it is safe to go back. When we go back, when we, all of us, when we go back, that we are safe and that we have what we need, the ppe that we need, and it has got to come from the top. That is why we have got to change the leadership in this country. I cant say it more strongly, just like elizabeth did and did, so we like you have to make sure aft gets out they are get everybody on board, their family and friends, everyone out there has got to vote, so that this country goes in a new direction. Randi i want to say thank you to both of you. Part of why we are doing this today, and i hear that even more people are watching, is because , you know, educators dont feel listened to. You know, they have the, you know, they have the responsibilities of the world on their shoulders, and they are really strategic and innovative, as both of you have been, and the leaders on the roundtable have been, but they are always doing more with less. And this is an unprecedented situation, where there are so many things that are coming at us, it is going to be hard enough trying to figure out how to teach in this new normal. And schools are not set up to do physical distance and for kids to be wearing masks, and we are going to have to create culture change, fred is going to have to be doing some band thing to get people into a groove on this, but, you know, it is also, and this gets us to the question from local two, we talked about local three, i competed with which is mine, thi stacy davis dates from local one in chicago, and all the issues in society are on the schoolhouse door. So in chicago, they see a really underfunded safety net. I know dr. Biden wanted to be on the line in chicago as well, but senator warren was with me on that line in chicago. Because unemployment for black men there is 50 . They are on the precipice of mass eviction nationwide. It gives you a sense of why we need the election today, not in november, because all of this is happening because of the impact on covid in black and latino communities. It is exacerbating the already preexisting issues of health disparities, lack of affordable housing, persistent unemployment and underemployment, so part of what, you know, our colleagues, our sisters and brothers and our trans cousins want in chicago, is they want that plan that the Vice President sent today in terms of the economics. They want the plan about reimagining society, because all of this is going to be on the schoolhouse door. And how do we have schools at that center of community, and center those services as well, which will be very needed . So her question is, how do we Reimagine School communities so communities, so we can deal with these kind of issues that disproportionately affect black and brown lives . Dr. Biden you know, randi this , pandemic has shined a bright light on inequities in our system that need to be addressed. We have seen so many challenges families are facing, that lack of technology or broadband, Food Insecurity, child abuse on the rise. We have to build back better and reimagine our system so that it works for every community, urban, rural communities, so to do that, we need to reopen in a way that is safe for the children and educators that helps parents get back to work to support families. That is why that i wish joe were president right now. You would see partnering with educators, childcare providers, unions, communities, and families, to ensure schools and childcare facilities open safely, and have the resources and support they need. And as president , joe is going to strengthen our schools to meet whatever challenges we all face. Like elizabeth said, he is going to put more money into schools, especially title i schools, which serve the highest number of lowincome children. And he is going to expand the Community Model, everybody is familiar with that. All the needs of our families, from housing to health to food and after school care. Randi stacy was driving at that, because in chicago and other places, melissa has been pushing a Community Model in ohio, starting with the youngstown and lordstown area. So i think that is really important. I want our listeners in the facebook and zoom universe to really hear what dr. Biden just said, and i know both joe biden and Elizabeth Warren really pushed during the campaign. I know it is time to go, and i just want to raise one more two ion, because these are meaning paraprofessionals, that came together, one from michigan and the other from detroit, in michigan, and they often get forgotten, but our paraprofessionals, bus drivers who transported students to and from school and field trips and have played a Critical Role during covid, in terms of transporting grab and gos, and also transporting work back to teachers. You have the secretaries and the frontline office workers, who have been going into buildings now, to make sure that they are fielding questions and getting things done while we have been in quarantine. And michigan has been a place that has been really severely hit, and, because of that governor and the work she has done, as we all know, has really helped tackle the curve. But then there are Food Service Workers. We serve over 30 million breakfasts and lunches every day, and the Food Service Workers have been going into schools every single day to do the grab and gos, not only for the kids we serve, but for their families. And then, of course, there are the custodians and ground keepers and maintenance workers, and their question is, this is from jeff and donna, how do we make sure all of these critical staff how do we make sure they are not invisible . How do we make sure they are recognized . How do we make sure that, not only their work now that has been so essential is recognized, but how do we protect them and their pathway to a better life . Sen. Warren i think that is a terrific question. I just want to say i think this is a matter of respect and a matter of drawing on the expertise of the people who are on the front lines and know what is going on. That is why it is so important that teachers and paraprofessionals, our School Bus Drivers and cafeteria workers, have a voice in all of the reopening decisions. They need to be at the table every step of the way. School districts and states that are trying to figure out about School Openings have to consider the health and safety of the entire school community. And they have to focus especially on teacher and paraprofessional safety. Adults who work in schools have to feel safe, and they have to be safe when they come there. We now know that many teachers and coaches and cafeteria staff, janitorial staff and other workers, are at high risk for covid19. Administrations, the trump administrations total failure to mount an adequate Public Health response for the pandemic means infections are going up. They are soaring in many communities around the country, and particularly in communities of color. And that increases the hurdles for communities trying to reopen better trying to work and trying to reopen their schools. For me the respect means , everybody gets to the table if who is going to be directly affected, and they have expertise to bring and help show us the most effective, safest ways to be able to reopen our schools. Dr. Biden i would like to make two points. One is that it is about money, to make sure that the local governments and the state governments get the funding that they need to pay the educators and support professionals, and we make sure we get those minimum wage is 15, and i want to assure you that everyone on this call, teachers and paraprofessionals and educators, everyone will have a seat at the table when joe biden is president. Know, i know we by a few past our time minutes, so i want to see if the senator and dr. Biden have any closing thoughts. I want to say to both of you, we wish you were there right now. [laughs] we just because you can see, you know, there was one or two questions about just the frustration boiling over. People, you know, they are facing three crises, our kids are hurting, parents are hurting, and our educators are just trying to figure out how to deal with all of that and deal how to deal with their own lives as well, and they really want to teach, and they really want to do their job, and they really know how important they are, but they so need a partner in the white house, and they so need a senate that is going to actually work with us, where we dont have to do millions of dollars of ads to beg for the money that we need, because the pandemic reduced the funding in states, and all of these safety precautions and Mental Health needs and the Food Insecurity and the instruction needs are going to cost 20 more, not 20 less. So speaking to both of you is such a breath of fresh air when we are talking about equity and safety and access and all of this. So we wish you were there now, dr. Biden. We wish joe biden was president now. But we know weve got to vote, and we know it is not going to happen by magic, and we have to do everything we can. But i just cant thank you enough for listening to us, and all of the, not just the frustrations and challenges, but the hope and understanding that you heard from fed and melissa and philippe and jerry, and the questions people have had. I just cant thank you enough. Dr. Biden randi, thank you, and thank you to the aft. Thank you to all your members who are here on this zoom. Just want to reassure everybody that if and hopefully when we are elected, you, the educators, the unions, the students, the parents, will have a partner, a partner, two partners, in the white house. [laughter] sen. Warren i just want to reiterate what dr. Biden is saying, because it is going to be extraordinary to have two partners in the white house, to have such a remarkable man to be president but such a remarkable woman, who is an educator through and through, and who will be there every day day to make sure every one of these promises is kept, because she has made her life commitment to our kids. I think dr. Jill biden is one of the very best reasons to vote for joe biden, many good ones, but that is a really good one. The other thing want to say, randi, is that when you say people are worried, frustrated, worried about what is happening next, i get it. But the next time you feel frustrated, do something about it. The next time you feel angry, do something about it. The next time you feel worried, do something about it. And the thing you can do is say, ok,can sit down and think, we are aiming toward november 3. How do we make sure, make sure, make sure that joe biden is elected and that we get democrats up and down the ballot . Talk to friends who might not be registered to vote. Call them, talk to them, email them, text them, do one thing every day. And when you get used to doing one thing every day, do two things every day, and then do three. But remember, dont just sit there and be frustrated, dont waste your energy spinning around, put your energy to work to make real change, because come november 3, it is all about to be on the line. It is all going to be on the line for our kids. That is why we are in this fight, and you can make that difference. So lets make it happen. Randi thank you. Thank everybody who has been on the zoom and the thousands of people watching. Thank you. To the people who are watching, thank you for your commitment. Thank you for the work that you have been doing. Thank you for being those essential heroes that have helped us through this huge pandemic. To senator warren, i mean, look, you know how we feel about you, but it is just the work you have done to create and make education important in the senate for the last many years, on the k12 as well as higher ed level, has really created narrative change, and that is important regardless. And dr. Biden, i just i wish you were in the white house now. Between youknow, and joe biden, you two meet the moment that we are in right now, that America Needs. Because it is no longer a fight for the soul of the country, it is a fight to reimagine americas better angels. And you show that every single day. Dr. Biden thank you. To philippe, to melissa, to fed, to jerry, thank you, for bringing your hearts, your souls, your passion, your eloquence to this roundtable. And i went to say to everybody who is on zoom still, please, you hear that passion, you hear the attention and the commitment to our kids, our educators, our Public Schools. We need to do more than be frustrated about it. We haveor warren said, to go out and act, and act means getting joe biden elected as president , and others up and down the ticket who will actually fight for children, who care, who show up, who fight. And now all of us who vote. Thank you, everybody. Dr. Biden thank you. Sen. Warren thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the republican and democratic parties on the campaigns of President Trump and joe biden are working on the convention to your the democrats will convene for a scaledback convention in milwaukee. They were begin their vacation convention the following week in charlotte, north carolina, before moving onto jacksonville, carolina. Beginningon cspan, monday, august 17. And watch any time on cspan. Org , or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. President s, from public affairs, available now in paper book and ebook. Presents biographies of every president , organized by their ranking from noted historians, from best to worst, and features perspectives into the lives of our nations chief executives and leadership style. Visit our website, cspan. Org to learn mores, in order your copy today, wherever books and ebooks are sold. Host we are back with jo jorgensen, who is the Libertarian Party president ial nominee. She is with us this morning to talk about the Libertarian Party and her run for president. Ms. Jorgensen, thank you very much for being with us this morning. Guest oh, glad to be here. Thank you very much. Host so give us your pitch for president. Why should our cspan viewers consider you and vote for you for president of the United States . Guest because government is too big, too nosy, too intrusive, and the worst part is they often hurt the very people that they try to help