Pelosi Statement on San Francisco Teacher’s Cross-Country Bike Ride for Public Education

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy teacher Kelly Clark’s bike ride from her school in San Francisco to Washington, D.C. Clark and the “We Ride 3,000” team are biking for 44 days across the nation to advocate for public education. The cyclists are expected to arrive in D.C. on July 17th.

“Kelly Clark and the “We Ride 3,000” team have embarked on a cross-country journey to support our nation’s public schools. As they travel, they are meeting with people across the nation to raise awareness of the value of our public school system. San Francisco public school students are fortunate to have Kelly Clark riding for their future.

“This ride, which lasts more than six weeks and covers more than 3,000 miles, comes at a time of tight state and local budgets, with hundreds of thousands of educators of our children at risk of losing their jobs. While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided critical aid to states to avoid teacher layoffs, more must and will be done.

“Earlier this month, the House passed a funding bill that included $10 billion to help keep 140,000 teachers in our schools next year. This Education Jobs Fund will be modeled after the state stabilization funds established in the Recovery Act, and will keep teachers in our classrooms in California.

“We have a moral responsibility to educate our children, give our young people the tools and skills to compete in the global economy, and raise a new generation of well-prepared students to meet the challenges facing our nation. Congress must take further action to ensure that America’s students do not pay the price for the recklessness of Wall Street.”