Bronx, NY — Andre Easton, father of three and socialist candidate running for New York's 15th Congressional District, has been a New York City public school teacher for 14 years, 12 of those in the South Bronx. On August 28th, he issued the following statment:

“In two weeks, Bronx K–12 students go back to school. So do I. I've taught high school English in the South Bronx for the past 12 years. Every school year, I watch as we send our students back into a system in crisis.

“In Bronx School District 9, more than one in five public school students is homeless — among the highest rates in New York City. In Mott Haven, where I teach, and in Melrose, only 73% of students graduate on time. That's nine points below the city average of 82%. Just 7% of school funding in NY-15 comes from the federal government. Meanwhile, the House just passed a budget resolution for another $73 billion to fund Trump's illegal war on Iran.

“I'm running for Congress in NY-15 so the federal government guarantees every student the same resources, no matter their ZIP code: modern classrooms, counselors, art and cultural education, after-school programs. I'll fight to guarantee every family an affordable home, so no child does their homework in a shelter. And I'll turn our schools into hubs of support, not just survival.

“In the richest city in the richest country on Earth, we have the money to fully fund our schools. It's time to fight for the political power to send that money to our needs, not the war machine.”