The votes have been counted, and while Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, the results of the Electoral College gave the presidency to Donald Trump. Not what was expected, nor hoped for, by most NYSUT members.

As life-long educators, we should take heart in the words NYSUT Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta offered on Wednesday morning:

NYSUT stands by the same values we did before the election. We vow to continue to protect public education, quality health care, opportunity and equality for all. Thank you to all who worked so hard on campaigns in New York, as well as NYSUT volunteers in battleground states. We will need all that energy and dedication, and more, in the future. As Hillary Clinton said so eloquently in her concession speech, fighting for what’s right is always worth it. We will continue to do what we have been doing for the last three years: educate, organize, and mobilize our members, our friends, and our families. It is our right and our privilege to do so.

If we care about public education we must continue to work for a better tomorrow for the students of today.