Houston found itself again thrust into the center of the battle for the presidency on Friday as 10 Democratic contenders brandished their visions for educational policy during a two-hour forum organized by the National Education Association.

Nearly every one of the Democratic nomination hopefuls assured the audience of 7,000 educators that they will fight for better pay for teachers, more resources for public schools and a secretary of education with classroom experience.

“The first thing as president of the United States I will do - the first thing I will do — is make sure that the Secretary of Education is not Betsy DeVos,” former Vice President Joe Biden said to a standing ovation.

DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist, has been President Donald Trump’s secretary of education since 2017. DeVos never attended public schools, does not have a degree in education and has no experience teaching,

Biden was not alone in eliciting roars when taking target at DeVos. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren also stressed she would name a secretary of education with teaching experience.

“Betsy DeVos need not apply,” the Democrat from Massachusetts said.

And U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., added that when she’s looking for a secretary, “I will not be interested in grizzly bears.” That is a jab at DeVos, who during her 2017 confirmation hearing said guns might have a place in schools due to the threat from grizzly bears.

Several candidates received ovations for advocating for higher wages for teachers and for additional counselors and social workers.

“Every teacher in America should earn at least $60,000 a year,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, said.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke said teachers are being asked to do so much to help kids who are coming from difficult backgrounds. The El Paso native said there needs to be more support staff to allow teachers to teach.

“I want to make sure they can focus on that job - that child in front of them,” O’Rourke said.

Charter schools provided a point of division among candidates. While none said they supported for-profit charters, O’Rourke said he supports non-profit charter schools.

“There is a place for public non-profit charter schools, but private charter schools and voucher programs, not a single dime in my administration will go to them,” O’Rourke said.

That represented a departure from Sanders, who called for a moratorium on all new charter schools. Like O’Rourke, Sanders stressed that he would be against for-profit charters getting tax dollars.

“Taxpayer money should be going to educate our kids, not making Wall Street investors even richer than they are,” Sanders said.

For many of the contenders, the NEA forum offered a chance to tout their own teaching experience. Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro told the crowd of his experience being a substitute teacher at Jefferson High School in San Antonio after earning his degree at Stanford University. He said many days he went home needed a five-hour nap just to recover from the demanding job.

“I also remember the joy of the moments when I felt like I had really helped a student understand something they didn’t understand before,” Castro told the audience.

Warren reminded the audience three times that she worked as a special education teacher after graduating from the University of Houston in 1970. “I knew what I wanted to do since the second grade,” Warren said. “I wanted to be a public school teacher.”

After the NEA forum, Warren spoke to a crowd of 2,000 at the separate appearance at the University of Houston. Warren credited the school - and its $50 a semester tuition - with helping her get back on track after she dropped out of college years earlier to get married. She eventually returned to teach law at the University of Houston.

“What a homecoming,” Warren told the crowd Friday at the Student Center South.

Often during her campaign around the country, Warren has called the school a small commuter campus. On Friday she explained that when she was attending the school “that what it was.” She said there were no dorms and everybody drove in.

Warren used the nearly hour-long speech to stress her working-class roots and her fight against big-monied interests in Washington, which she said are responsible for hollowing out the middle class.

“Money, money, money has infected the decision-making in Washington,” Warren said, calling for big structural changes in how government operates.

She said she’ll have the biggest anti-corruption program since Watergate and will increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

“It’s time to pass a wealth tax in this country,” Warren said.

She said that after a person makes $50 million, they would have to give 2 cents on every dollar after that in taxes. She said it’s not meant to be punitive, but to make sure everyone else has a chance to make it in this country. She said that means universal childcare, pre-K and tuition-free college.

Try the app Get alerts, breaking news and in-depth coverage on what's happening in Houston for your mobile phone and tablet devices through our mobile apps on Google Play and the App Store.

Read More

Warren wasn’t the only candidate to venture away from the NEA forum. Before the event, Sanders met with dozens of union members with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

Houston has been a regular stop early on in the presidential race. The forum at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday was the third time major candidates have come to Houston for a presidential forum. In April, candidates participate in a forum at Texas Southern University and another organized by the African American Mayor Association.

The region is drawing candidates because of its deep fundraising pockets for Democrats and the fact that Texas will vote on March 3 in the presidential primary battle. That puts it on Super Tuesday right after Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina vote.