Stars and Stripes letter: Education chief should quit

Education chief should quit

I’m writing to express my outrage about the statement by Secretary of Education Rod Paige at his Feb. 23 meeting with U.S. governors. He called the National Education Association a “terrorist organization.”

Mr. Paige and the Bush administration are upset that educators, 2.7 million of whom are represented by the NEA, continue to voice their concerns about the “No Child Left Behind” legislation. In my opinion, this legislation is leaving most children behind. The NEA continues to point out that this law actually has serious limitations for English as a second language learners, special needs students, low-income students, and at-risk students.

Mr. Paige needs to take responsibility for his actions and step down. His unconscionable name-calling equated our nation’s educators with the Taliban; the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers; and Osama bin Laden. There’s little hope that Mr. Paige will be able to listen to any NEA suggestions to successfully work together to fix the problems in the legislation. We teachers want to help all U.S. children become successful learners, but we absolutely need the help of a supportive national educational leader — one with the ability to work cooperatively to solve problems.

All people who support the fine efforts of hard-working U.S. educators should contact either President Bush and/or their congressmen and ask for the resignation of Mr. Paige.

Brenda Hoff
President
Hanau Education Association
Hanau, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=20915

in which Paige is quoted? He is nothing but a stooge, a token. Just like Colon and Condosleeza.