The New York State United Teachers union on Friday endorsed Democratic state Senate candidate Jim Gaughran in the 5th Senate district on Long Island.

The endorsement is interesting, given the Republican Gaughran wants to unseat is Sen. Carl Marcellino, the chairman of the Education Committee in the chamber.

“I thank the educators at NYSUT for endorsing my campaign and supporting my efforts to serve in the State Senate,” Gaughran said in a statement. “I am especially proud to have earned this endorsement because public service and supporting public education are core values to me. Our students deserve a world-class education, and that will only be possible if we invest in our public schools. I will fight to ensure our public schools and educators have the support and resources they deserve.”

NYSUT unsuccessfully this year pushed for the approval of a bill that would decouple state examinations from teacher evaluations, a measure that did not gain a vote in the Senate.

“After every single Senate Republican and several Democrats turned their backs on New York teachers and public school students at the end of this year’s legislative session, NYSUT vowed to remember who failed to stand with us. In this critical race, Jim Gaughran is clearly the better choice for public school teachers and their students,” said NYSUT President Andy Pallotta. “We are committed to standing shoulder to shoulder with Gaughran as we fight to restore local control of our schools and advocate for working families.”