Rob Sand Earns Support from Group of Bipartisan Educators, Largest Labor Union in Iowa

DES MOINES, IA – On Saturday, the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) – the largest labor union in Iowa representing more than 50,000 public education employees across the state and political spectrum – recommended Rob Sand for Iowa’s next governor at their State Conference. ISEA brings together educators from all political stripes – Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike – and their endorsement represents Rob’s broad cross-party appeal to make Iowa not redder or bluer, but better and truer.

At the conference, Rob spoke to educators from across Iowa about his plan to restore Iowa’s public schools to their best-in-the-nation status. He highlighted how Iowa public schools were once our state’s crown jewel — so much so that we proudly stamped “Foundation in Education” on our state’s quarter. But after a decade of one-party control and an unaccountable private school voucher system that has taken millions of tax dollars meant for public schools in service to unaccountable private schools, our education system has been on the decline. As Iowa’s next governor, Rob will work to restore our public schools to the crown jewel they once were.

Read more about ISEA’s recommendation of Rob:

Des Moines Register: Rob Sand speaks to hundreds of Iowa educators, earns ISEA support

Speaking to hundreds of Iowa educators, gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand invoked Iowa’s legacy as a national leader in education while laying out a vision for the state’s future should he be elected governor.
Sand’s mother, Leslie Sand, a now-retired long-time Iowa AEA educator, spoke about her son as a child and how his education created “good characteristics for a governor.”
Emphasizing that Iowa’s education has been left behind in part because of the Republican Party, Sand said that bipartisanship would help bring Iowa back to its roots in education.
Educators — like [Rob’s] mother — worked to “help kids meet their potential,” he said. “I know this room is full of people who feel the same way.”
Teachers, young and old, new and retired, and those who teach at the elementary level all the way up to community college, gathered with grins on their faces, phones ready to take a photo with who they hope will be the next governor of Iowa.

Bleeding Heartland: Why Rob Sand sees educators as his “secret weapon”

Sand sees educators as particularly powerful surrogates for his campaign, because of their diverse political leanings and how connected they are in their communities. Their voices could be helpful in another way, too: public education is a focal point of Sand’s promise to take Iowa in a new direction.
Sand praised ISEA’s tradition of having Democrats, independents, and Republicans work together to make education better. He explained that at all of his 100 town halls last year, he asked people to acknowledge those in the room with different political views, because in order to solve problems, it’s important to listen to people we disagree with.
As he often does at town hall meetings and during interviews, Sand reminded the ISEA crowd that while some states showcased a famous location or historical event on their quarter, Iowa chose the slogan “foundation in education.”
[Sand] went on: “I’m sick and tired of a state capitol building that completely ignores the passion of the people in this room to serve the children of Iowa, the future leaders of the state of Iowa: our future doctors, our future lawyers, our future teachers, everybody. I’m so tired of it.” The audience stood and applauded.