WASHINGTON, DC – Following is a statement by National Education Association (NEA) President Dennis Van Roekel on Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D-Ohio) re-election to the U.S. Senate.

"The Buckeye state will return to Washington, DC a true public education champion in Senator Sherrod Brown. His re-election is a victory for students and for public education. As educators, we are confident he will continue to make education a top priority in the Senate. He will fight for the middle class and will make sure everyone has a fair shot.

Senator Brown has been a relentless and unwavering supporter of public education in his first Senate term. When the Buckeye state faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression that threatened tens of thousands of education jobs, Sen. Brown voted to provide emergency relief to the states, saving nearly 8,000 education jobs—teachers, nurses, librarians and other critical school personnel.

Senator Brown also introduced a bill to freeze student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent that was signed into law this summer by President Barack Obama, saving about 382,000 Ohio students from an even bigger student-debt load.

It’s why the Ohio Education Association, NEA’s state affiliate, enthusiastically endorsed his re-election bid."

(via news release distributed by nea.org.)