Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1060790
O N T H E M O R N I N G of Nov. 17, 2018, Tony urmond declared victory in the Superintendent of Public Instruction race. A concessionary phone call from his opponent came almost two weeks after Election Day, when urmond's lead made it all but certain he would win the historic race and become the 28th California Superintendent of Public Instruction. e announcement capped off a wild post-election period that saw Thurmond make up an 86,000-vote deficit to seize the lead by more than 160,000 votes in a little more than a week. Educators throughout California obsessively checked the Secretary of State's website to track the count, waiting for the eventual wave of support from Los Angeles County that pushed urmond into the lead as officials tallied more than 4 million ballots there. urmond's win is a monumental victory for public schools. "Congratulations to Tony Thurmond, California's next Superinten- dent of Public Instruction. Tony has always been a winner in the eyes of educators who were inspired by his character and genuine support for all the students of our state," said CTA President Eric Heins. "It's clear that educators played a pivotal role in this election. We sent " Educators played a pivotal role in this election. We sent a loud message to the billionaires and corporate special interests: Our public schools are not for sale!" — Eric Heins, CTA President Public Schools Win on Election Day Tony Thurmond, Gavin Newsom top list of victories for education BY JULIAN PEEPLES a lou d m e ss a ge to th e bi l lion aire s an d c or p orat e special interests who spent nearly $40 million trying to buy the state superintendent's office: Our public schools are not for sale!" The hard-fought victory came despite the millions spent by billionaires to defeat urmond and elect their candidate. Misleading television ads ran on an almost constant basis, and mailers distorting Thurmond's record filled mailboxes across the state — but they were not enough to overcome the combined efforts of 325,000 dedicated CTA educators. "Never underestimate the power of public school edu- cators, who stood together in unity to do what's right for our students," Heins said. "We phone-banked, texted, canvassed and volunteered for candidates like Tony who want quality public schools and an equal opportunity to higher education for all children. I want to thank all CTA members for their hard work in this election. We look Gavin Newsom, at left with CTA President Eric Heins, topped a long list of education-friendly election winners. Photo: Frank Wells Tony Thurmond, center, gathered with CTA members (including Vice President Theresa Montaño, to his right) on election night. 40 cta.org Advocacy