Ten 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls descended on Houston on Saturday to try to gin up support among the nation's public school teachers, vowing to boost educators' pay and give their profession the respect it deserves.

Speaking at this year's annual National Education Association (NEA) forum, the 10 contenders laid out their plans to prioritize public education funding and praised teachers as the guardians of the nation's future, also accusing the current administration of not prioritizing one of the country’s most valuable professions.

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“You hold, more than any other profession, you hold the future of this country in your hands. I’m not exaggerating. It’s a fact,” former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE said.

“All these children are our children. They’re all our children. They’re the kite strings that lift our national ambitions aloft, and they’re in your hands, and we don’t treat you with enough respect or dignity, we don’t pay you enough, and I promise you if I am your president it will change on day one,” he said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersThe Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power Bernie Sanders: 'This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome MORE (I-Vt.), meanwhile, said every teacher should earn "at least" $60,000 a year.

“In America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, it must go without saying, we are going to have the best public schools in the entire world. And that means that it goes without saying that we are going to have teachers who will receive the respect and the remuneration that they deserve for doing some of the most important work in America,” he added.

Friday’s forum is a critical part of the NEA’s nominating process; it said it will endorse a candidate “at the right time.” The influential group, which boasts nearly 3 million members, is one of several that the two dozen presidential hopefuls are targeting as they seek to shore up support among a crucial constituency for Democrats.

Public school teachers captured national headlines last year as they gathered at state capitals across the country to call for smaller class sizes, pay raises and increased education funding. West Virginia teachers led the "Red for Ed" movement in February 2018, prompting teachers in primarily GOP-led states such as Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona to go on strike.

So far this year, West Virginia teachers went on strike again, as did educators in Los Angeles; Denver; Oakland, California; and North Carolina. And Democratic presidential candidates have taken notice, vowing to step up federal efforts to improve teachers’ conditions and include them in the decisionmaking process.

Several top-tier presidential candidates have unveiled sweeping education policy proposals, including providing universal pre-K programs and lowering the cost of higher education. Virtually all guarantee a pay bump for teachers.

Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-Calif.) promised to nominate an Education secretary "who comes from public schools," an implicit dig at President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE's appointee, Betsy DeVos Elizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosSpecial counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report NEA president says Azar and DeVos should resign over school reopening guidance The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - You might want to download TikTok now MORE, whom public school advocates have targeted over her support for private charter schools.

“I also promise you that you will be at the table to help me make that decision,” Harris said.

Biden, echoing Harris, made similar promises to appoint a teacher to head his administration's Education Department.

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“I will put a lot of pressure to make sure teachers are in on deciding what the curriculum is, what you’re going to teach, because you know better,” Biden said.

Several candidates touted their personal connections to teachers, emphasizing their backgrounds as former educators or highlighting relatives who had been in the profession.

"I think this goes to the fundamental question of respect for our teachers," Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.), a former public school teacher and law school professor, said to applause.

"Too many folks seem to have gotten the idea that teaching is kind of like working on an assembly line, and we’ll just test your widgets to see if they’re coming out all right, and if they are you must be a good teacher, and if they don’t meet the standards set somewhere else you must not be. No, that is not what teaching is all about."

Many also offered implicit and explicit critiques of the Trump administration and DeVos. Candidates denounced what they see as the administration's prioritization of standardized testing and accused Trump's Education Department of allocating funds to private charter institutions, hindering progress for public schools.

"We must end federal funding completely for for-profit charter schools. Taxpayer money should be going to educate our kids, not to make Wall Street investors even richer than they are," Sanders said, adding that his policy proposal would put a moratorium on all new charter schools "until we have a full understanding of their impact on public education."