Grassroots Education Network- May 2021 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of 170 grassroots organizations nationwide who have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign on.
If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network please contact Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org
Notes from Marla
One of the most rewarding parts of my job at NPE is to connect people. The network we have created together provides a space where people feel as if they are not alone, and it also offers opportunities for organizations to assist each other. Want to talk to someone on how to defeat vouchers? Ask Arizona SOS or Pastors for Texas Children. Want to speak to someone about successful community organizing? Ask Journey for Justice Alliance or Arizona Educators United. Want to find out all there is about student privacy or data collection? Ask The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy or Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. Want to find out anything and everything about standardized testing? Ask FairTest. I could go on and on! As we move into the summer and begin to take a short reprieve from our work, know that as you enter back after a rest, the NPE Grassroots Education Network is YOUR space for support. If you need any type of connection, please email me at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org.
National Organizing
Network for Public Education launched a campaign this month to thank members of the House of Representatives who support charter reform. NPE will also host a FREE screening of the premiere for the documentary Chasing Childhood on their Facebook page. Join us for this free live stream on June 24th at 8 p.m. EST. Go here for more information. Defending the Early Years has opened registration for their Annual Virtual Summer Institute. You can go here for more information. In the Public Interest’s privatization reports offer a weekly scan of privatization campaigns across the globe. The Journey for Justice Alliance held their Equity or Else Virtual Rally and campaign launch this month with a series of videos from across the country. Head over to their Twitter feed to check out all the videos. The Schott Foundation blog post this month, Billions are at stake. Community Voice is Critical is informative. You can read and share it here. Fairtest wrote in their latest newsletter, “With the spring 2021 “testing for the sake of testing” charade getting underway, many parents are responding by opting their children out of pointless standardized exams. Initial reports indicate record numbers of public school children will not bother sitting for this year’s tests.” Stan Karp, the editor for Rethinking Schools, wrote this month that activists are mobilizing for waivers and opt-outs as Biden mandates tests. Please do not forget that The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy has created two important toolkits for parents and teachers on how to navigate privacy issues. Mississippi Today did a nice expose on Dick and Sally Molpus, the founders of Parents for Public Schools. Parents for Public Schools also participated in the Born to be Wild Family & Friends Picnic this month at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The event was presented by the museum and the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. Parents Across America has a public Facebook page that is great for interacting with others from across the nation about public education issues. Go here to join in the conversation.
Be sure to visit The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) blog. Here is a post by Steven Singer discussing why diversity is the most important reason to save public schools. Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education (USA) has a public Facebook group that features information from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. about how communities are navigating the worldwide COVID crisis. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation celebrated Support Personnel Day this month with a powerful video. Wear Red for Ed has an active open Facebook page that tracks the Red for Ed movement nationwide. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) action dialogue on May 3rd discussed the union our educators and communities deserve. First Focus Campaign for Children called on the Biden Administration and Congress to take swift and decisive action to strengthen federal protections so that transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming children’s rights aren’t subject to the whims of their state legislatures. Kinderchat continues to host its popular Twitter chat every Monday at 9 PM EST. The chats are informative and provide great resources for teaching kindergartners. Check them out on Twitter at #Kinderchat. Kinderchat also has a fantastic website full of resources. Instituto Nueva Escuela celebrated International Family Day by sharing some powerful stories on their Facebook page. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood announced that the momentum against Facebook’s planned Instagram for Kids is growing. Hear CCFC’s Josh Golin talk to Tonya Mosley of Here and Now radio about efforts to get this disastrous plan canceled. With so much inappropriate content out there, how do we even begin to sift through the options for preschool tech? Join CCFC for “Safe, Secure, & Smart Tech for Preschoolers” featuring Jenny Radesky and Roberta Golinkoff on 6/8 at 7 PM ET (4 PM PT). To register go here. Equal Opportunity Schools celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a series of powerful graphics. Go here to view them. When Public Schools Reopen celebrated its first anniversary in April. Denisha Jones was the guest speaker at the two Study Groups for the book Black Lives Matter at School. It sponsored its first letter writing campaign to end PreK- 2nd grade school suspensions in North Carolina. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) are concerned citizens of Ottawa-Outaouais. Their mission is to build awareness of how we can make life better for children and youth. Head over to their open Facebook page to keep up with news, and events, from Canada. As part of their celebration of May Day, the National Educators United shared a great article from the Labor & Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) that discusses the history of educator unionism.
State Organizing
Please use this clearinghouse of information to inform people in the various states about the NPE Grassroots Education Network organizations. Please encourage people to join them and support their work! Call on family, friends, and colleagues to join the fight to save public education. This section is also a place to get great ideas on organizing and actions.
Alabama
SOS (Support our Students) shared that the TEAMS Act has been signed into law by Gov. Ivey. Here’s a summary by the Alabama School Board Association and all Alabama educators should be aware of it.
Arkansas
Grassroots Arkansas is a coalition of activists dedicated to fighting for an equitable Central Arkansas. They want to bring an end to social, economic, political injustice and inequality by transforming the power relations and structures that create and hold them in place. They place education at the democratic center of this struggle that reaches every aspect of our lives. Please follow their movements and announcements here.
Arizona
Voices for Education announced that the University of Arizona Education Policy Center (EPC) is currently conducting an additional anonymous survey to better understand the implementation and impact of remote learning, and the transition back into in-person learning, in the state of Arizona. EPC is asking public school teachers to fill out the survey. If you are a current public school teacher in Arizona, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Arizonans for Charter School Accountability announced the Arizona Attorney General is investigating millions in EdKey online charter kickbacks to for-profit micro-schools. Save Our Schools Arizona continued to push hard to defeat privatization bills in the final weeks of the Arizona legislative session. Arizona Educators United have also been very busy trying to stop bad privatization legislation in Arizona. Please visit their Twitter feed to see their Twitter storm, Town Halls, and more they have done to stop bad legislation.
California
California Educators United is a rank and file-led network of educators and supporters of public education. They are part of the movement for racial equity and social justice, fully funded public education through progressive taxation, and pro-public education and anti-privatization. To follow their movements, go here. The Public Core program, Between Two Teachers, is informative. To view all their archived programs, go here. The Association of RAZA Educators Los Angeles member, Carolyn Torres gave a powerful keynote speech for the ARE Statewide Conference that was hosted by ARE San Diego. Bay Area Collective Keeping Privatizers Away from Community Schools (BACKPACS) celebrated the removal of an item from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting that would have given taxpayer money to a charter school. To learn more about this story go here. Educators for Democratic Schools-Oakland open Facebook page reports all that is happening in the Oakland Unified School District. Parents Supporting Teachers joined the network this month. They organize in a closed Facebook group of over 25,000 members. You can follow them on Twitter here. This month they have been fighting hard to save the Garfield High Woodshop program.
Colorado
Pueblo Education Coalition’s goal is to represent educators, parents, community members, students, and all stakeholders towards positive change for Pueblo’s public education. To keep up with their movements, go here. Taxpayers for Public Education thanked their members for their work this year and are asking Colorado citizens to fight a voucher initiative called Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress, which is about to go through the petition process and end up on the November ballot. To read about this issue, go here.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children are Connecticut families and educators advocating for safe, equitable, fully funded public schools. Please follow their activity here. Children Are More Than Test Scores have conducted live readings of various books for children through the pandemic. There were a few readings this month. Head over to their open Facebook group to listen and share. Re: public Ed informs Connecticut residents about the state, local, and federal education policies that impact teaching and learning. New London Parent Advocates updates their open Facebook page weekly with all that is happening in the New London Public Schools.
Florida
Fund Education NOW highlights a wide variety of issues impacting Florida education. If you are a Floridian or know someone who is, please have them connect to join the fight for public education. Florida BATs and Broward BATs continue to inform the public about all that is happening with Florida education. Go here and here for updates. Pastors for Florida Children posted a story about the approval of voucher expansion by the Florida legislature and what that means for public schools in Florida. Florida Council of Churches participated online in a discussion about racial disparities with their state faith leaders. Opt-Out Florida Network updated their opt-out toolbox, guide, and pocket guide for refusing the test. They are excellent resources that anyone can take and use for their opt-out needs. They also continue to encourage parents to stay strong on test refusal. Pinellas Parents Advocating for School Improvements organizes on a private Facebook page. If you know of anyone in the Pinellas area, have them join to connect. Protect Our Public Schools, Manasota believes that free, quality public education is a right for all children and is necessary for the optimal functioning of a democratic society. To keep up with their movements during the COVID-19 crisis, go here. Miami-Dade County Public School District Parents shared information about a mobile unit in Miami-Dade that will come to locations to vaccinate children who are eligible. UnitED for Florida Children are parents, teachers, students, school administrators, school board members, and superintendents across the state who are unhappy with what is happening in Florida’s public school classrooms. Education reform efforts led by politicians have changed the learning environment, removing autonomy, flexibility, and creativity and replacing it with poorly implemented and untested standards and high stakes tests. To connect with this amazing Florida group, go here. Please welcome Hillsborough Public School Advocates to the network. They are based out of Tampa. They organize out of a private Facebook group of over 4000 members.
Georgia
If you live in Georgia or know someone who does, make sure they connect with Public Education Matters Georgia. Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) has a vibrant public Facebook group that discusses how education in Georgia is going during the COVID crisis. If you are interested, here is the link to that public group. Opt-Out Georgia organized the opt-out movement in Georgia via a closed Facebook group of over 8,000 members. If you live in Georgia or know someone who does, encourage them to connect with this group. The Georgia Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) was founded in 1990 to bring together individuals from all academic levels and disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and other organizations, occupations, and communities who had an interest in multicultural education. NAME is committed to a philosophy of inclusion that embraces the basic tenets of democracy and cultural pluralism. To keep up with their movements, visit their website.
Hawaii
Check out the Parents for Public Schools Hawaii newsletter this month. There are great summer resources for Hawai’i’s keiki listed.
Illinois
Illinois Raise Your Hand has been very busy this month fighting for an elected school board in Chicago. Go here to view pictures of their rally. Illinois Raise Your Hand shared, “For the past 2 years, Lightfoot’s Administration has continued to ignore the demands of its people. This administration has failed on multiple issues – from environmental justice to education to policing to housing and COVID recovery. RYH joined over 40 organizations in calling out Mayor Lightfoot on her 2 year anniversary and demanded that she fulfill her broken promises.” On May 5th RYH also wrote an open letter to the next CPS CEO. Illinois Families for Public Schools provided an update on the Right to Play EveryDay Bill (SB654).
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education , Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County, The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education, and the Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education co-hosted a discussion of the film “Indiana’s Choice” with the individuals involved in making the film. The film demonstrates how school choice policies in Indiana enable segregation of students and discrimination against both students and faculty. Washington Township Parent Council Network is celebrating the end of the school year by asking parents and Caregivers to please fill out their survey. They will use the survey results to understand which topics are most important to parents/caregivers, and share feedback with their school board as they plan for next year.
Iowa
Iowans for Public Education celebrated teachers on May 4th with a beautiful graphic and message on their open Facebook page. Go here to view it.
Kansas
Game On for Kansas Schools gave an update on the outcome of their legislative season.
Kentucky
Dear JCPS invited their Facebook followers to learn about the new 3rs on their website. Kentucky SOS shared a powerful story of a student who is spreading the word that the results of the K-Prep are inaccurate. Pastors for Kentucky Children offered this statement of reflection early last month – “The community that occurs in public schools gives us a glimpse of the kingdom of God. Lifting others up, embracing all God’s children and loving our neighbors happens every day in public schools across our nation!”
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana had a productive day at the capitol this month in coalition with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Check out their pictures from that day.
Maryland
The Baltimore Algebra Project worked hard over the last few months to educate the public on school safety and how it would impact the community.
Massachusetts
Citizens for Public Schools conducted a campaign where they asked people to share their MCAS stories. Go here to view all the stories and the campaign. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools took part in a rally to opt out of the MCAS.
Michigan
The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in the State of Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Save Michigan’s Public Schools are sharing important information for families about school funding. Michigan Parents for Schools has an extensive website to help Michigan parents and educators. Be sure to check it out here. MI Ed Justice is encouraging people to attend this webinar about the end of the school year during the pandemic. Trusted Voices ED is a nonpartisan advocacy organization focused on informing stakeholders about current education policy as well as building collaborative relationships with policymakers to ensure every student receives the highest quality of education. Head over to the open Facebook page to discuss the issues on education and policy.
Minnesota
Parents for St. Paul Schools is a grassroots organization started by parents of public school students. They are in favor of an immediate moratorium on the expansion of existing charter schools in St. Paul and the creation of any new charter schools in St. Paul. To keep up with their work, go here. Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity white paper, Pursuing Educational Equity in Minnesota Through a Statewide Multi-Tiered System of Support, is a must-read and share for anyone living, or teaching, in Michigan.
Mississippi
Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point supports their community with information about education, meals, vaccinations, and much more. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County are still hosting Early Childhood Development programs for their community. They have been doing this since March. For more information on their programs, go here. Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia advocates for children and schools in the Philadelphia Public School District. Make sure you give them a follow on Facebook. Parents For Public Schools of Starkville is a local organization working to strengthen public schools in Starkville. They promote the great work being done in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
Missouri
Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter. Columbia Parents for Public Schools promotes parent engagement to improve education and build public support for public schools in Columbia.
Nebraska
Stand for Schools continue to educate the public about the fact that vouchers allow private schools to discriminate. Go here for yet another disturbing story that they shared from Nebraska. Nebraska Loves Public Schools released a new documentary this month called Student Stories: Standing Up To Covid.
Nevada
Educate Nevada NOW held a discussion this month on “Path to Funding Quality Schools” with tax policy expert Guy Hobbs. Northern Nevada Parents and Teachers United put out a survey late last month for parents to have input on how federal COVID money is spent in the state and in districts.
New Hampshire
Barrington Educators Association is the local chapter of the New Hampshire-NEA. You can view updated work here. To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here.
New Jersey
Save our Schools NJ hosted a discussion with students about their learning experiences this past year and what they would like to see as they head back into the classroom. The current and immediate past NJ State Teachers of the Year moderated the discussion. Be sure to check out The Newark Students Union events tab on their Facebook page. The posted events provide an excellent template for student organizing. The Delran Education Association is a local organization committed to ensuring excellence in public education. Give them a follow on Facebook. If you are a resident of Elizabeth, ask to join the Elizabeth Parents and Students Care closed Facebook group to connect. Montclair Cares About Schools congratulated new Board members and thanked the outgoing Board members late last month. Give Our Children Our Schools a follow on Twitter to keep up with any future events. South Orange-Maplewood Cares About Schools organizes in its closed Facebook group. If you live in this area or know anyone who does, please join the group here. Paterson Education Fund continues to be on top of Board meeting dates and special sessions.
New York
Class Size Matters hosted their Parent Action Conference on May 22nd. The theme was How should NYC schools spend billions in new federal & state funds to improve our schools? The Keynote speaker was Rep. Jamaal Bowman! Follow New York Allies for Public Education on their website for the latest update on opt-out numbers in New York. Testing began last month. LI Opt-Out has a lot going on this month with their opt-out of testing campaign, elementary testing, and HS regents exams. To keep up with all they are doing be sure to visit their public Facebook page. NYC Opt Out is ramping up their efforts for opt-out in NYC. From their twitter feed-”put it in plain language this year: if you don’t want your child to sit for grade 3-8 state tests, you don’t have to do anything. If the principal pressures you to have your child take them, that’s not ok– let us know at nycoptout@gmail.com.” They also continue to be busy this month with the NYC race for Mayor. Check out their Twitter feed for the latest on where the candidates stand on public education. After a long hard fight for funding The Alliance for Quality Education has a few demands for how the money needs to be spent. AQE NYC Advocacy Director Zakiyah Ansari appeared on a public education panel for the Sunday Civics show that aired this month. Give Change the Stakes a follow on Facebook to keep up with what is happening in NYC education during the COVID crisis. NY BATs noted early last month that two NY districts had canceled standardized testing this year, staying in minimal federal compliance by offering “opt-in” testing for parents who requested it by April 7. As of late April, members of FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) are still working without a contract. MORE-UFT will be holding their summer convention July 28-31. Go here for more information. Jackson Heights People for Public Schools has so much information on their discussion Facebook page that you need to head over to see what the community of Jackson Heights is up to. From assisting families in IS 145Q who were impacted by a horrible building fire to opting out of testing. Check it out here. Parents for Public Schools- Syracuse Fireside Chat Friday this month was about school funding and parent advocacy. Croton Advocates for Public Education (CAPE) advocates for fair assessments, enrichment opportunities, and funding for their schools. The Port Washington Advocates for Public Education closed Facebook group is a place to connect and organize if you live in Port Washington, NY. North Country Alliance For Public Education works to end the reliance on high-stakes testing and stop the privatization taking over their schools. If you live in the North Country of New York, consider joining their closed Facebook group to connect. Visit the Rochester Coalition for Public Education website for all that is happening with Rochester education, meeting schedules, and information.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC and Wake County have an informative monthly newsletter that will update you on all that is happening with North Carolina education. If you live in North Carolina please subscribe. If you know someone who lives in NC, please have them subscribe. North Carolina Families for School Testing Reform have provided sample test refusal letters and resources for families who want to know more about test refusal. Go here to access those resources. Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods Organizers Circle this month was about mental health and supporting communities during the pandemic. Pastors for North Carolina Children held their first in person meeting this month! Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County newsletter this month has a list of programs for parents in the community.
Ohio
Be sure to keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. It Takes A Village To Tackle HB70, and It Takes A Village are asking Ohio citizens to sign a letter to support the fair school funding plan. Northwest Ohio Friends of Public Education is also focused on fair school funding this month. They are calling on Ohio lawmakers to end the unconstitutional school funding system in Ohio. Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati post upcoming events on their open Facebook page. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education and Public Education Partners (PEP) issued an action alert this month for fair school funding. Go here to view that action alert.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee held a campaign this month which asked people to change their Facebook profile pictures to a graphic that made it clear that public schools welcome all children. Pastors for Oklahoma Children noted on their Facebook page that vouchers have been increased in Oklahoma and provided a powerful picture of which lawmakers voted for that policy. Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education/Oklahomans for Public Education have a private Facebook group of over 31,000 people. If you live in Oklahoma or know someone who does, share this link to connect. Oklahoma Teachers – The Time Is Now organizes in a private Facebook group of over 64,000 members. The purpose of the group is to unite all educators in Oklahoma to come together and educate, collaborate, and discuss what options they have moving forward to improve Public Education. If you know any Oklahoma educators, send them to this group to connect.
Oregon
Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) supported a student-led forum for school board candidates late last month. Oregon Save Our Schools posted opt-out forms in English and Spanish. If you know anyone who is a parent of a school-age child in Oregon, please share. Oregon BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are an Oregon teacher or community member, ask to join and connect.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association highlighted the work educators have put into learning how to teach virtually, much of which has been behind the scenes. Please read “A training ‘tsunami’: Educating teachers on virtual tech,” featured in the May/June issue of Bulletin. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education are asking parents to testify at the Board of Education meeting this month. If you live in Pittsburgh, please sign up here. Education Voters PA joined education leaders from the Pittsburgh area to advocate for aggressive investment in public education from the PA state legislature. Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools has written about the latest in the Philadelphia Board of Education protocols for speaker suppression. Teacher Action Group Wilmington is a member of the Network of Teacher Activist Groups, a national coalition of grassroots teacher organizing groups. They work together to build an education movement for liberation, locally and nationally, through shared analysis, political education, mutual support and learning, and joint projects. If you know anyone in the Bethlehem Area School District, be sure to contact the BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) Parents. They are a fantastic group fighting for children and public schools in the area. Here they post information for parents about a webinar that will address education beyond COVID.
Rhode Island
The Providence Student Union is growing and hiring this month. To keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island, give the Parents Across Rhode Island Facebook page a follow.
South Carolina
Here is the recorded video from the Quality Education Project’s speaker series event that was held on May 20th. One of the speakers was Kyle Serrette, Senior Policy Analyst with the National Education Association (NEA). Kyle spoke on community schools as a model for school reform.
Tennessee
The Momma Bears have fantastic opt-out of the test resources on their blog for TN assessments. If you are in Tennessee you can access it here and if you know anyone in Tennessee please share these amazing resources with them. Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Twitter to keep up with all that is going on in Tennessee education. Pastors for Tennessee Children and the Tennessee Coalition for Public Education published an opinion piece in The Tennessean outlining how the state should fund public education. Tennessee Strong continues to share articles written in the Tennessee Education Report. The latest article highlights how Williamsport parents are speaking out for inclusion and diversity. Tennessee BATs organize out of a closed group on Facebook with over one thousand members. If you are a Tennessee teacher or a supporter of public education in Tennessee, go here and ask to join their Facebook group to connect.
Texas
Pastors for Texas Children, The Coalition for Public Schools Texas, and a coalition of influential public education supporters successfully beat back vouchers this year in Texas! Congratulations! CFISD Community Leadership Committee rallied their members to oppose charter expansion and charter co-location on public property. Members of Texas Kids Can’t Wait are advocates for equitable and adequate funding for Texas public schools and for a sane assessment system. They strongly oppose the corporate takeover of public schools. To follow their advocacy go to their open Facebook page. RootEd publishes a monthly newsletter called The Branch. Go here to view their newsletter from last month. If you know of anyone in the Houston community, please have them connect with Parents For Public Schools of Houston. They do fantastic work in the Houston area. Community Voices For Public Education continues to hold meetings regarding legislative updates and information about the Superintendent search in Houston. Our Schools San Antonio shared an article last month about problems with the online administration of the STARR assessment. The Coalition for Equity in Public Education announced late last month that it supports disclosure of the community meeting presentation and record of attendees. To learn why they made this announcement go here. Texas AFT thanked its members this month for standing up to charter expansion in Texas. To read their thank you letter and information about their fight against charter expansion, go here.
Virginia
Virginia Educators United is a grassroots collection of pro-public school people who act to support Virginia Public Schools. They organize in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, please ask to join and connect. Virginia BATs also organize in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, parent, or community member, please ask to join and connect. Support Our Schools-Shenandoah County organizes to fight for public education in that region. You can connect here. Virginia Public Education Partners is dedicated to supporting and protecting public education. They work to end school privatization maneuvers that undermine democracy and diminish available resources for public schools. Follow their updates here.
Washington State
WA BATs has an active Twitter feed full of powerful graphics. Check it out here. For more than five years Washington’s Paramount Duty has been pushing the state to tax the rich and fund Washington’s public schools. Thanks to the House Finance Committee, they’re closer than ever to that goal. To read more head to this link for a summary.
West Virginia
The West Virginia United Caucus joined the network this month! We are excited to have them and look forward to organizing with one of the most powerful grassroots teacher caucuses in the country. To learn more about their work go here, here, and here.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Education Network will hold its 7th Annual Summer Summit, hosted by the Sun Prairie Area School District, on August 2, 2021 at Sun Prairie High School (with a virtual participation option). Registration is just $25/person, which includes lunch (for in-person attendance) AND the optional six-week Equity in Action Leadership Circle. To register, go here. Schools and Communities United posted that Wisconsin does not fully fund public education, but Wisconsin has put into place a second school system using the same pot of insufficient funds to create the ever-expanding voucher school system. Read here about the lies that are told about school voucher statistics in Wisconsin. Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee shared Reagan High School senior Elizabeth Simon’s original composition “Rise Up” performed by Reagan’s Bella Voce Ensemble. This piece was the recent winner of the Wisconsin School Music Association’s 2021 Choral Composition Competition.
NPE Grassroots Education Network – Resources and Graphics
Here is a link to our resources page. It will help you navigate resources covering a variety of topics. This is a live document and will be updated so check back for new resources.
Here is a link to our graphics page. It will provide powerful visuals for you to share on social media. This is a live document and will be updated so check back for new graphics.