The Chicago Teachers Union is currently on the front lines of a fight to defend public education. On one side the 30,000 members of the CTU have called for a contract that includes fair compensation, meaningful job security for qualified teachers, smaller class sizes and a better school day with Art, Music, World Language and appropriate staffing levels to help our neediest students.

On the other side, the Chicago Board of Education—which is managed by out of town reformers and Broad Foundation hires with little or no Chicago public school experience—has pushed to add two weeks to the school year and 85 minutes to the school day, eliminate pay increases for seniority, evaluate teachers based on student test scores, and slash many other rights.

Teachers, parents and community supporters in Chicago have fought valiantly—marching, filling auditoriums at hearings and parent meetings, even occupying a school and taking over a school board meeting. Most recently, 98 percent of our members voted to authorize a strike. But now we find ourselves facing new opponents—national education privatizers, backed by some of the nation's wealthiest people. They are running radio ads, increasing press attacks, and mounting a PR campaign to discredit the CTU and the benefits of public education.

"I know I’m just a kid, but I have no future, and it freaks me out. I’m sorry if it looks like I’m just spoiled and petulant."

[Via WeAreThe99Percent]

via Occupy Oakland

WHERE: Lakeview Elementary School, 746 Grand Avenue, Oakland CA 94610
WHAT: Sit-in Protest To Reverse Closures of Oakland Public Schools
WHEN: Beginning Friday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m. PST
WHO: Teachers, parents, students, allies, and all who believe in public education

At the end of this school year, the Oakland Unified School District plans to close five public elementary schools and hand children’s school buildings over to private charter schools and district administration offices. Hundreds of the displaced students have been placed by the district in elementary schools that are 10 miles away, and the school district has offered no guarantee that transportation will be provided for families. In response…

Oakland Parents and Teachers Are Sitting-in to Keep Neighborhood Schools Open!

We Need Your Support!!!

On June 15th, after the last day of school, Oakland parents and teachers will sit in at Lakeview Elementary demanding that the district keep all neighborhood schools open. The district has not listened to lawsuits, pleas from parents and teachers, or protests. We know the money exists, but still they insist on closing flatland schools serving predominantly black and brown children. We say no more excuses! We’re keeping the schools open the last way left to us, by sitting-in. But we cannot do this alone. We need your support! Demand the district and the politicians give us full funding for quality education in neighborhood public schools. Join the fight for our kids’ futures!

We demand:

Don’t Close the 5 Schools! Keep All Neighborhood Schools Open! Children’s Needs Before Administration’s!
Stop Attacks on Teachers and School Workers! Teacher Conditions=Student Conditions.
Refuse to Pay the Unjust State Debt!
Fully Fund Quality Public Education for All Students!

Support the People’s School for Public Education:

Friday 6/15 @ 1:00pm – Community Speakout & BBQ Friday 6/15 @ 4:00pm – Rally to Kick-Off Sit-In Saturday 6/16 @ 2:00pm – People’s School Solidarity Rally Every Night starting Friday @ 9:00 – Solidarity Watch

Join our work committees to organize for this action – Email education4the99 [at] gmail.com to get involved!

On Monday, the 18th, we will be starting a free, week-long social justice summer program for our kids – Email education4the99[at]gmail.com for more info and to enroll your child.

Spread the word – Tell your friends and family!

———————

The following are the Principles Of Action for Lakeview Elementary. This is a parent, teacher, and student led action. Please respect and abide by their principles:

Refer all interviews to parents, teachers, and people directly impacted by education struggle who are on a sit-in committee (they will be wearing a special shirt).
Do not confront the police.
No Black Bloc tactics.
No Drugs or Alcohol. This is intended to be a children and family atmosphere.
No Violence No destruction of property.
People sitting in will be people directly affected by education struggle and who work on a sit-in committee (wearing special shirts).
This is a peaceful action.

For more information, and to get involved: and education4the99.wordpress.com

One month after Trayvon Martin's murder, thousands rally in Sanford for justice as thousands more join them in cities across the country.

Via:

In communities big and small, people wore hooded sweatshirts -- hoodies -- and carried Skittles and iced tea -- just as Martin had done on the night of his death -- as they called for Zimmerman's arrest, legislative changes and an end to racial profiling.

They included throngs of people who marched on streets in front of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, decrying a "stand your ground" law in that state -- as in Florida -- that allows people to use force in self-defense.

More than 2,100 miles away in San Francisco, others held up signs reading, "We demand justice."

Similar scenes played out in Iowa City, Iowa; Houston; Detroit; Philadelphia; and places in between.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, presented Sanford's city commission with a petition he claimed had been signed by 2 million people who urged that the shooter be detained.

In Washington, D.C., a march to the Justice Department ended with the delivery of printout of an online petition with over half a million signatures demanding action.

A new poll shows that 67 percent of white Americans and 86 percent of nonwhites believe Martin’s shooter, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, should be arrested.

A full list of participating cities in Monday's Day of Action for Trayvon in online here.

Trayvon's parents will be in D.C. today as Congress prepares to hold a hearing on racial profiling. Protesters have planned a march to the White House to coincide with the hearing.

If you'd like to sign the petition started by Trayvon's parents, you can do that online here.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was in Austin on Thursday, where he was a keynote speaker at South by Southwest’s second annual SXSWedu conference. He also made a stop to speak to a crowd at Austin Community College’s Eastview campus for a “town hall” discussion on education issues.

After being greeted by applause, Ducan received an unexpected "welcome" as Occupy Austin members stood and shouted out "Mic check," proceeding to read out a prepared statement attacking the privatization of public schools and other educational grievances:

Continue reading »

Parents and activists from Occupy Chicago seize Piccolo Elementary School on city's West Side to stop the mayor and city council from firing the entire staff.

Days before the Chicago Board of Education is expected to vote whether to replace the staff at ten under-performing Chicago schools, angry parents occupied one of those schools Friday night, saying they would refuse to leave until Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed to discuss their objections to the board’s “turn-around” plans.

About thirty parents occupied Brian Piccolo Elementary Specialty School in Humboldt Park, after showing up outside the mayor’s office earlier in the day and failing to get a meeting with him.

There is also an encampment outside of supporters that include parents, Occupy activists, and teachers.

Via Occupy Chicago Press:

Declaration #1 from Piccolo Occupation
11:49pm - February 17th, 2012

We, the Piccolo Occupation, are putting our childrens' education first. Piccolo has failed because CPS has refused to invest in public education. The school has struggled for years but you have taken out all the programs, classes and opportunities to learn. We have had 3 principals in the last five years.We have not been able to work with anyone on a long-term basis to address the chronic disinvestment in our school. CPS and City Hall have failed us and our children. Your goal is to privatize the education system by giving it to corporations that support the mayor. We have been ignored, you have ignored our children and now you are trying to make money off of them.

The Chicago Public Schools is in violation of its own remediation and probation policy. CPS is in violation of the Illinois School Code and the Illinois Civil Rights Act. CPS is in violation of Illinois Senate Bill 630. Because of this, a moratorium has been introduced in the Illinois Legislative Assembly by the School Facilities Taskforce. We are enacting our moratorium for ourselves with this sit-in due to the fact that CPS not once has laid out the necessary corrective action for Brian Piccolo or Paolo Cassals along with the Local School Councils for getting them off of probation during the last five years. The School Improvement Plans for Academic Achievement (SIPAA) at these two schools have lacked the budgetary resources to bridge the achievement gap of our student populations. Further, the SIPAAs along with the budgets at the time of their signings have not had real community input. Therefor, these actions could very well be civil rights violations. At the recent CPS hearings, the former principle of Cassals testified that not once in the last five years had CPS met with her nor with the LSC about any of the necessary corrective action for Paola Cassals to be removed off of probation.

Because CPS has been not willing to meet with or listen to us, this is what we want:

1) A meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel

2) A meeting with at least five of the Chicago School Board members present

3) The removal of Piccolo and Cassals from the turnaround list

There's now an update from Occupy Chicago:

After blocking occupiers from entering or leaving the building, which is preventing the parents from carrying out their scheduled shifts, CPS security guards from the Central Office are denying one of the parents, a diabetic with high blood pressure, her multiple medications nessisary to avoid serious health complications. They are saying that she will have to leave the building to get access to her medication and will not be allowed back in. She is refusing to leave, saying "I am here for the right cause and I am not giving up."