GET ON THE BUS…Fight for Education Justice!

Dear Education Allies,

Teachers 4 Social Justice wants to extend the invitation to join our caravan of educators and allies to Sacramento to unify and put pressure on the state legislator to stop the governor’s proposed cuts in education. We are asking that you send 1-3 representatives from you organization to join and help connect the dot’s between all our areas of work. GET ON THE BUS, with Teachers 4 Social Justice and fight for quality education for all our children.

We will gather and have a  GET ON the BUS to fight the cuts to education RALLY on the steps of City Hall next Friday, May 9th, 2008 @ 11am before heading to Sacramento. Return to SF at 8pm.

The Rally in SF will be the final stop (before going on to the State Capitol in Sacramento), for the A.R.E. (Association of Raza Educators) San Diego to Sacramento Caravan of Educators to Fight the Budget cuts.
We are saying our children deserve better. From San Diego to The Bay and up to Sacramento let our voices be heard. Join the California Caravan in Support of Funding Public Education and investing in the children of CA. Join Teachers 4 Social Justice, ARE (Association of Raza Educators), SFABE and many other local and statewide community based orgs for a Rally on the steps of City Hall in San Francisco
Rally at 11am. Bus departs for Sacramento @11:45. Return to SF at 8pm.

Please let us know if you will be able to join us on such short notice. We encourage allies to bring folks to the rally and select a few reps to join us on the bus. Space is limited so please RSVP as soon as possible. Let us know.

Any Questions please contact: Karen Zapata at 415-516-0338 or teachers4socialjustice@yahoo.com

Peace and Empowerment,

Jeremiah Jeffries, Teachers 4 Social Justice

Seattle Teacher Refuses to Administer State Test (WASL)

In these days of state standards and so called “failing schools”, many teachers fantasize about not subjecting their students to the mandatory state standardized tests. For those teachers who have flirted with the idea, read this article about a teacher in Seattle who decided to take his “civil disobedience” into the classroom, defying state law and state academic standards. Right or wrong, it provides a great read and a poignant lesson in modern day civics.

Here is the link to the full article:

TEACHER REFUSES TO ADMINISTER STATE TEST

Special Education Students Required to Pass Exit Exam

Disabled students required to pass exit exam (From SFGATE.COM)
Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer

High school seniors in special education classes will be required for the first time this year to pass California’s exit exam to qualify for a diploma after lawyers for the disabled failed to get them an exemption.

A legal settlement, expected to be filed today in Alameda County Superior Court, will end a 7-year-old lawsuit that challenged a state law requiring all students – including those with mental or physical disabilities – to pass the test of basic math and English skills to graduate.

Passing the exit exam became a requirement for all seniors in 2006, but lawyers from Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley won exemptions for special-education students in 2006 and 2007.

Both sides said today’s settlement includes no exemptions.

That means Shaneka “Precious” Washington and other seniors in special education who have met all other graduation requirements will not get diplomas on graduation day unless they pass the test in time.

“I would be heartbroken,” said Washington, 18, a senior with learning disabilities at Balboa High School in San Francisco. “I don’t like to cry in front of people, but that would be the day I would.”

Continue reading…

Tough Education Budget Cuts Looming

Did you know that this year in California has been dubbed by Governor Schwarzenegger as “The Year of Education”?

If you haven’t heard, Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed a 14 billion ($14,000,000,000) dollar budget cut for California, of which 4.8 billion ($4.8,000,000,000)are proposed to be cut from public education. This budget cut will be felt by all of California, especially when it comes to social services, national parks and of course, education. For the public schools in wealthy districts and areas, the affects will be felt, however in districts and schools with less financial resources, the aftershocks will continue to ripple long after the waters of the wealthy have subsided.

READ THE FULL TEXT HERE

The question begs to be asked, how do we get more money in education? Do we push harder for legislation that provides for more cash, such as California Proposition 98, which passed in 1988 to establish minimum funding levels for public education? Do we allow corporations and private foundations (which are often funded by corporation such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/Microsoft) to infuse the system with much-needed dollars, and relinquish our diminshing control over the content and focus of public education?

Or is there another answer?

Julian D. Lute, MA, TEAMS Program Coordinator