The Bail Out the People Movement endorses the March 4 National Day of Actions
to Defend Education.
Across the country, students, teachers, faculty and other workers, along with
concerned parents, community activists and organizations, will be using the
week of March 4 to strike decisively to defend public education and the right
to pursue higher learning.
The effects of the economic crisis have been felt in all sectors. Hundreds of
thousands have faced having their homes foreclosed on or being evicted.
Millions have lost their jobs and have added to the ranks of unemployed,
especially people of color. Many families face hunger on a daily basis.
The crisis has not abated but continues like a storm. Federal, state and local
governments are now cutting back on vital social services; closing schools;
defunding education, health care and other needs; and laying off more
workers.
There has been an accelerated push to privatize public education under the
guise of “school choice,” using the crumbling infrastructure of
inner city schools as an excuse. This crumbling is due to decades of systemic
underfunding.
Parents and their children are wooed by for-profit and even nonprofit charter
schools as a way out. But the charter schools offer a clear and present danger
to teachers’ unions and are not bound to provide English as a Second
Language or special education services. Charters can be granted to companies or
a group of individuals who ultimately select the students and control the
curriculum and budget.
Besides the above, corporations and financial institutions would like to get
their hands on the $800 billion a year spent on education.
The Obama administration has contributed to the race to privatize public
education. It has dangled $4 billion in front of strapped state governments to
compete for by devising a new plan for education. This “Race to the
Top” program calls not only for diminishing or eliminating altogether the
cap on charter schools, but also calls for the tying of teacher pay to
performance, opening the door for the firing of teachers at
“underperforming schools.”
The state budget crisis, which grew out of the general economic crisis, has
provided state governments across the country a pretext for further attacks on
public education. As of December, 36 states have made higher education budget
cuts, resulting in tuition increases and reductions in faculty and staff.
Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have cut aid to K-12 schools.
Additional cuts across states are expected to be widespread in 2010.
In this climate of severe and relentless education cuts, March 4 is just the
beginning of a movement to unite students, educators and other workers against
the attacks on public education. That is why the Bail Out the People Movement
is proud to stand up for public education on March 4 and raise the demand:
“Money for Jobs and Education, Not for War and Incarceration.” As
the struggle continues to grow post-March 4, it will be critical to link
together the movements for jobs and education with the movement to stop the
wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For more information on the March 4 National Day of Actions to Defend
Education:
- Visit the Web site for more details at http://www.defendeducation.
org.
- Endorse the call by sending an email to march4nationaldayofaction@ gmail.com.
- Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ group.php?gid=213637229312.
On March 4th students all over the U.S. will be protesting the budget cuts in education,the tuition hikes and the many attacks on youth and students trying to get an education. In NY the students will be gathering at Gov. Paterson's office at 4 PM, 633 Third Avenue at 41st St and marching to the MTA hearings at FIT on 27th and 7th Avenue. The students are uniting with members of the TWU and the FTA in these actions. For more information go to march4ny.wordpress.com
