Democratic presidential candidates in Pittsburgh for education forum

Pittsburgh was the backdrop Saturday as seven Democratic presidential candidates are at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to discuss their education policy platforms.

Front runners Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be joined by Sen. Michael Bennet, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer for the day-long, invitation-only event organized by national and local teachers’ union and public school supporters. Sen. Cory Booker, of New Jersey, was scheduled to attend but is out with the flu, according to his campaign.

Warren, a former special education teacher, was strong in her support for increasing federal spending at all levels of public education, from preschool to college.

“As a nation, it’s time to make a real investment, and we can do this by asking those at the very top just to pay a little more,” she said, referring to her “two-cent wealth tax” plan, which she said would generate the hundreds of billions needed to fund her education policy proposals.

Warren called for free early childhood programs, including daycare and preschool education, as well as free higher education at public institutions.

Making these programs more accessible will benefit not just school-age children, but will transform families as well, she said.

“A mama who can finish school, who can take a job, who can take a part-time job to a full-time job, and knowing that their child is in a high-quality education setting,” Warren said.

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg participates in the Public Education Forum 2020 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. #PublicEdForum pic.twitter.com/emAS5KjUaB

— Nate Smallwood (@nsmallwoodphoto) December 14, 2019

Education policy is predominantly set at the state and local level. In Pennsylvania, most of those decisions are made by the state legislature and school boards that oversee the state’s 500 public school districts. Allegheny County alone is home to 42 suburban public school districts, plus several public charter schools, as well as dozens of private and parochial schools. Pittsburgh Public Schools, the state’s second-largest public school district with over 20,000 students, sits at the center of the county.

.@PeteButtigieg on stage now. Teachers need higher pay, access to resources/supplies & training. "If we honored our teachers a little more like soldiers, as well as paid them a little more like doctors, we wouldn't have this issue of shortages."

— Jamie Martines (@Jamie_Martines) December 14, 2019

Pam Harbin, a member of the Pittsburgh Public Schools board of directors, said she wants a candidate who will prioritize funding for public schools.

“Let’s look at how much it costs to educate those students and we will make sure that you have that funding,” she said. “We will make sure that your teachers are supported and are well-trained and that they have everything that they need to make this work. That’s what I want to hear.”

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren participates in the Public Education Forum 2020 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. #PublicEdForum pic.twitter.com/16AyKgHPBI

— Nate Smallwood (@nsmallwoodphoto) December 14, 2019

School choice advocates representing parents, students and community members from Pittsburgh-area charter schools gathered outside the convention center in the rain Saturday morning ahead of the forum.

Opening remarks have finished. We’ll be hearing from the 7 candidates shortly. Sen. Cory Booker, of New Jersey, was scheduled to attend but is out with the flu, per his campaign. Moderators Ali Velshi of MSNBC Live & Rehema Ellis speaking now. pic.twitter.com/ARfwmFuki9

— Jamie Martines (@Jamie_Martines) December 14, 2019

Jacquetta Rawlings, of North Braddock, has a grandson attending a Propel charter school and a son who graduated from one. She wants presidential candidates to listen to her experience.

“We have our Democratic candidates who are having an educational forum without representation from the charter schools,” she said. “That to me is not democratic. They need to hear our voice. We’re choosing the charter schools because we know our children best.”

Choosing a charter school isn’t about putting down traditional public schools, said Latasha Allen, of Squirrel Hill, a parent and administrative assistant at Urban Pathways K-5 Charter School in Downtown Pittsburgh.

It was about choosing the school that was the right fit for her child.

“We don’t want them to just do regular, and not be able to excel because there’s too many kids in a classroom,” Allen said. “We want them to be able to get that extra help that they need, social support, special education support — things that are not always given in a public school.”

We’re back with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who entered the stage to big cheers and applause.

— Jamie Martines (@Jamie_Martines) December 14, 2019

Other topics local education policy watchers say they’ll be keeping tabs on as the April 28 Democratic primary approaches include equitable funding for public schools, school choice, teacher training, affordable higher education options and workforce development.

Warren also discussed her plan for hiring more teachers of color, which includes investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), increasing access to Pell Grants and cancelling student loan debt.

“We support our teachers, we support our students of color, when we make college accessible to them without forcing them to go into debt,” she said.

At 2 p.m., large group of protesters approached the convention center doors and tried to get in, Pittsburgh police said. The doors were locked and police officers moved the protesters along without incident, said Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz.

We are COMPLETELY confused. You are flying in parents from California, but won't listen to the parents who came here on their own to be heard? You leave them in the cold. You call the police on them. And call this a #PublicEdForum Explain it to us @AFTunion @NEAToday pic.twitter.com/sePPD1nHfX

— Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools (@SaveCharters) December 14, 2019

As the forum wrapped up Saturday, the Republican National Committee sent out a statement in response.

“While Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg campaign on socialist policies that will harm hardworking Pennsylvanians, President Trump continues to fight for Americans with policies that have delivered a stronger economy and a better trader deal to the state,” RNC Spokesperson Christiana Purves said in an email.