February Grassroots Education Network Newsletter
We’re pleased to report that NPE’s Grassroots Education Network continues to grow and expand our reach. This month we’ve added a new national partner, the All our Children National Network, as well as additional state and local groups in Texas, Michigan, North Carolina and New York.
Is there a grassroots group doing great work in your state that we’ve overlooked? Please invite them to join.
As NPE President Diane Ravitch says:
We are many. There is power in our numbers. Together we will save our schools.
And there is tremendous work happening across the country to save our schools from privatization.
The new administration is moving fast on plans to further destabilize our public schools. NPE has started a campaign to push back against HR 610, a bill that would demand that vouchers be allowed for states to receive funding. Over 30,000 public education supporters have used our action to contact their representatives – please share this action with your networks and encourage your supporters to act now to stop this bill.
As the national push for vouchers takes shape, grassroots groups are organizing at the state and national level to fight back. Pastors for Texas Children is working in Texas and around the country to mobilize the faith community in support of public education and against vouchers. Please make sure to read their report below and share it with faith leaders in your state who believe in the promise of public education.
Public Schools First North Carolina, NPE’s partner in last year’s conference in Raleigh, is calling for a moratorium on vouchers in that state. They’re looking for answers from their legislators about the program that will cost taxpayers as much as $33 million this year. You can find out more in their report below – please share it with any contacts in North Carolina.
Our third report on vouchers comes from Educate Nevada Now with a powerful post about how inaccessible vouchers really are for low income families in Nevada. They’ve done a fascinating analysis of how much a family would have to contribute over and above the cost of a voucher in order to send their child(ren) to a private voucher school. You don’t want to miss this analysis, and if you’re in one of the 27 states with some form of voucher, education savings accounts and/or scholarship tax credits program, you may want to consider conducting a similar analysis.
This month we also have a stunning video from our friends at the Michigan Network for Equity in Education. If there are any questions left as to the inevitable outcome of policies supported by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, this video will put them to rest. Please watch and share.
February Grassroots Education Network Reports
read this month’s reports from Texas, North Carolina, Nevada and Michigan
Pastors for Texas Children – Mobilizing the Faith Community for Public Education
..we believe that faith communities should be 100% behind public education as a core institution of democratic society and the common good.
Public Schools First North Carolina Calls for Voucher Moratorium
North Carolina needs schools our students deserve, and we need a moratorium on unaccountable vouchers as we work to make them a reality.
Educate Nevada Now: Expensive Private Schools Not the Answer for Most Families
We must come together and make investments so families have the choice of a strong, quality neighborhood school.
Must Watch Video: Detroit School Closings
This film helps expose the State’s cynical and racist agenda in Detroit and beyond. In all, 38 schools are targeted across the state for closure this year alone.
For additional in depth reporting on charters and choice, don’t miss a the latest installment in a series of reports from NPE Executive Director, Carol Burris, called Charters and Consequences. Be sure to share these reports with your network, and share a link to this newsletter – educating the public is our shared responsibility.
Thank you for all that you do,
Darcie Cimarusti
Grassroots Project Manager
dcimarusti@networkforpubliceducation.org
Carol Burris
