ATLANTA – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes today received the endorsement of the 40,000-member Georgia Association of Educators.
Barnes is facing Republican Nathan Deal in the Nov. 2 election.
“We’re proud to endorse Roy Barnes as the only candidate in this race who has the competent experience to make public education work again in Georgia,” association president Calvine Rollins said in a news release. “”We’re confident that Roy will end teacher furloughs and keep our clarssroom sizes low.”
Barnes said he is honored to have the endorsement.
“Georgia’s teachers are the backbone of this state – educating our children and shaping our future workforce. … I’m running to protect public education and keep these professionals in the classroom,” Barnes said in the release.
The Deal campaign dismissed the endorsement, saying the association “endorsed the entire Democratic ticket.”
“The GAE endorsement of Roy Barnes demonstrates how out of touch the union bosses are with Georgia’s educators,” spokesman Brian Robinson said in an e-mailed statement.
“Teachers haven’t forgotten the arrogance and bullying of the Barnes administration, and most will vote for Nathan Deal. In fact, teachers in Barnes’ county- the Cobb County Association of Educators – have endorsed Nathan Deal because they are closer to the teachers who spend time in actual classrooms.”