<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/">
  <channel>
    <title>PublicEducation &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
    <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation</link>
    <description>News and Views from the People&#39;s Struggle</description>
    <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:16:50 +0000</pubDate>
    <image>
      <url>https://i.snap.as/RZCOEKyz.png</url>
      <title>PublicEducation &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Victory for public education: Motion to limit charter co-locations passes</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-for-public-education-motion-to-limit-charter-co-locations-passes?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;Antonieta Garcia speaking to media after victory at Los Angeles school board meeting.  | Fight Back! News/staff&#xA;&#xA;Los Angeles, CA - In a hotly debated Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board meeting February 13, a motion to lessen the negative impact on public schools from charter school co-location passed 4 to 3. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The original September 2023 motion, by Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rociso Rivas, basically called for a study by the superintendent on the negative impact of charter schools that reside inside public schools. At the Tuesday meeting, a new policy was approved that will help hold back the growth of charter school co-locations. &#xA;&#xA;Antonieta Garcia of East Los Angeles, an advocate and mother of children in LAUSD, stated: “This is a big victory for our ELA community. We have been fighting co-location and the saturation of charter schools for many years!”&#xA;&#xA;The charter industry has used California’s Proposition 39 to target Black and Chicano community public schools to take up classroom space and recruit students. Co-locations negatively impact local public schools by taking away funding and classroom space.&#xA;&#xA;The motion makes one of the most significant changes to local charter school policy since the state first required school systems to offer space to charters more than 20 years ago. &#xA;&#xA;United Teachers Los Angeles led the campaign in support of the motion; uniting with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Reclaim Our Schools, Eastside Padres, and Centro CSO.&#xA;&#xA;Centro CSO in the past has led successful campaigns against charter schools. At Garfield High School, they stopped a Green Dot takeover; at Roosevelt High, they stopped a Collegiate Charter school co-location, and they stopped KIPP Promesa from building a large charter school in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Centro CSO also supported the work to oust KIPP Poder at Gascon School in Montebello Unified School District.&#xA;&#xA;Several mothers of LAUSD students called in to make a public comment supporting the motion, giving examples of how charter schools target students with recruitment campaigns causing lower enrollment in local public schools. &#xA;&#xA;Boyle Heights and East LA are saturated with charter schools due to the ex-LAUSD board member Monica Garcia opening the door. Four of our good public schools have an Extera Charter school on campus at Second Street, Breed Street, Lorena and Eastman elementary schools. East LA also has several KIPP, Arts and Action and now a charter high school Ednovate Esperanza near Garfield High.&#xA;&#xA;Antonia Montes, teacher at Eastman Avenue school, spoke via phone, pointing out how Extera charter school took over more space causing problems at Eastman Avenue school. She stated about the February 13 resolution, “This is a first step in minimizing disruption to our students&#39; academic and vital social emotional growth.”&#xA;&#xA;Dr. Rocio Rivas in particular has portrayed charter backers as trying to destroy public education by “privatizing” it. The charter industry, she said, has been “taken over by charter school management organizations, huge industries that are profiting.”&#xA;&#xA;The resolution prohibits charters from moving onto campuses deemed especially vulnerable to harm by disruption.&#xA;&#xA;Board members George McKenna and Jackie Goldberg - who won office with support from the teachers union - are not running for reelection. Goldberg is a long time social justice champion who has criticized the charter school industry for targeting our working-class Black and Chicano communities. &#xA;&#xA;Voting for the resolution were Goldberg, Rivas, McKenna and Scott Schmerelson. Voting against it were Nick Melvoin, Tanya Ortiz Franklin and Kelly Gonez. These last three are supported by the charter school industry with large sums of campaign money.&#xA;&#xA;Future charter school policy will be at stake next year in school board elections that are usually the most high-spending in the nation.&#xA;&#xA;The last LAUSD board election of Dr. Rocio Rivas gave it a pro-public, pro-union majority. This is why this year&#39;s LAUSD elections are critical to re-elect Scot Schmerelson and either Karla Griego or Fidencio Gallardo to replace Jackie Goldberg who is retiring after a long successful career in public office. &#xA;&#xA;This has been a long fight against privatization. Parents, students and teachers rejoiced when the vote was announced. Dr. Rivas and Ms. Goldberg met the joyous crowd outside to cheers and chants of “Si se puede!”&#xA;&#xA;#LosAngeles #PeoplesStruggles #PublicEducation #SchoolBoard #LAUSD #CentroCSO&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/Vg4TkuEw.jpg" alt="Antonieta Garcia speaking to media after victory at Los Angeles school board meeting.  | Fight Back! News/staff" title="Antonieta Garcia speaking to media after victory at Los Angeles school board meeting.  | Fight Back! News/staff"/></p>

<p>Los Angeles, CA – In a hotly debated Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board meeting February 13, a motion to lessen the negative impact on public schools from charter school co-location passed 4 to 3.</p>



<p>The original September 2023 motion, by Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rociso Rivas, basically called for a study by the superintendent on the negative impact of charter schools that reside inside public schools. At the Tuesday meeting, a new policy was approved that will help hold back the growth of charter school co-locations.</p>

<p>Antonieta Garcia of East Los Angeles, an advocate and mother of children in LAUSD, stated: “This is a big victory for our ELA community. We have been fighting co-location and the saturation of charter schools for many years!”</p>

<p>The charter industry has used California’s Proposition 39 to target Black and Chicano community public schools to take up classroom space and recruit students. Co-locations negatively impact local public schools by taking away funding and classroom space.</p>

<p>The motion makes one of the most significant changes to local charter school policy since the state first required school systems to offer space to charters more than 20 years ago.</p>

<p>United Teachers Los Angeles led the campaign in support of the motion; uniting with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Reclaim Our Schools, Eastside Padres, and Centro CSO.</p>

<p>Centro CSO in the past has led successful campaigns against charter schools. At Garfield High School, they stopped a Green Dot takeover; at Roosevelt High, they stopped a Collegiate Charter school co-location, and they stopped KIPP Promesa from building a large charter school in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Centro CSO also supported the work to oust KIPP Poder at Gascon School in Montebello Unified School District.</p>

<p>Several mothers of LAUSD students called in to make a public comment supporting the motion, giving examples of how charter schools target students with recruitment campaigns causing lower enrollment in local public schools.</p>

<p>Boyle Heights and East LA are saturated with charter schools due to the ex-LAUSD board member Monica Garcia opening the door. Four of our good public schools have an Extera Charter school on campus at Second Street, Breed Street, Lorena and Eastman elementary schools. East LA also has several KIPP, Arts and Action and now a charter high school Ednovate Esperanza near Garfield High.</p>

<p>Antonia Montes, teacher at Eastman Avenue school, spoke via phone, pointing out how Extera charter school took over more space causing problems at Eastman Avenue school. She stated about the February 13 resolution, “This is a first step in minimizing disruption to our students&#39; academic and vital social emotional growth.”</p>

<p>Dr. Rocio Rivas in particular has portrayed charter backers as trying to destroy public education by “privatizing” it. The charter industry, she said, has been “taken over by charter school management organizations, huge industries that are profiting.”</p>

<p>The resolution prohibits charters from moving onto campuses deemed especially vulnerable to harm by disruption.</p>

<p>Board members George McKenna and Jackie Goldberg – who won office with support from the teachers union – are not running for reelection. Goldberg is a long time social justice champion who has criticized the charter school industry for targeting our working-class Black and Chicano communities.</p>

<p>Voting for the resolution were Goldberg, Rivas, McKenna and Scott Schmerelson. Voting against it were Nick Melvoin, Tanya Ortiz Franklin and Kelly Gonez. These last three are supported by the charter school industry with large sums of campaign money.</p>

<p>Future charter school policy will be at stake next year in school board elections that are usually the most high-spending in the nation.</p>

<p>The last LAUSD board election of Dr. Rocio Rivas gave it a pro-public, pro-union majority. This is why this year&#39;s LAUSD elections are critical to re-elect Scot Schmerelson and either Karla Griego or Fidencio Gallardo to replace Jackie Goldberg who is retiring after a long successful career in public office.</p>

<p>This has been a long fight against privatization. Parents, students and teachers rejoiced when the vote was announced. Dr. Rivas and Ms. Goldberg met the joyous crowd outside to cheers and chants of “Si se puede!”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LosAngeles" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LosAngeles</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PeoplesStruggles" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PeoplesStruggles</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SchoolBoard" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SchoolBoard</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LAUSD" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LAUSD</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:CentroCSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">CentroCSO</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-for-public-education-motion-to-limit-charter-co-locations-passes</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:40:23 +0000</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Victory for public education in LA: Motion to limit charter co-locations passes</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-for-public-education-in-la-motion-to-limit-charter-co-locations-passes?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[The movement to stop charter schools in LA is scoring wins.&#xA;&#xA;Los Angeles, CA - In a hotly debated September 26 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board meeting, a motion to mitigate the negative impact of charter school co-location on public schools passed by 4 yes to 2 no with 1 abstention. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The motion by Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rociso Rivas called for a study by the superintendent on the negative impact of charter schools that reside inside public schools. The charter industry has used CA Proposition 39, passed in 2000 and enacted in 2003, to target Black and Chicano community public schools to take up classroom space and recruit students. This negatively impacts local public schools with less funding and classroom space.&#xA;&#xA;The September 26 motion makes one of the most significant changes to local charter school policy since the state first required school systems to offer space to charters more than 20 years ago. &#xA;&#xA;United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) led the campaign in support of the motion; uniting with ACCE, Reclaim Our Schools, Eastside Padres and Centro CSO.&#xA;&#xA;The community group Centro CSO led successful campaigns against charter schools at Garfield High School stopping a Green Dot take over, at Roosevelt High School stopping a Collegiate Charter school co-location and stopping KIPP Promesa from building a large charter school in Boyle Heights.&#xA;&#xA;Antonieta Garcia, a mother of LAUSD students, called in to make a public comment supporting the motion and giving examples of how charter schools target students with recruitment campaigns causing lower enrollment in local public schools. &#xA;&#xA;Boyle Heights and East LA are saturated with charter schools due to the former LAUSD board member Monica Garcia opening the door to them. Four of our good public schools have an Extera Charter school on campus - at Second St. Breed, St. Lorena and Eastman elementary schools. East LA also has several KIPP, Arts and Action and now a charter high school Ednovate Esperanza near Garfield High School.&#xA;&#xA;Antonia Montes, a teacher at Eastman Avenue school spoke in person pointing out how Extera charter school took over more space, causing problems at Eastman Avenue school.&#xA;&#xA;“We are saying to that school that the room your staff was using to work with deaf students to do speech therapy is no longer available,” Goldberg said last week. “So go find a corner of your auditorium or, as one of my schools does, find a space on the stairwell in between the first and second floor and have your work with disabled students done.”&#xA;&#xA;Dr. Rocio Rivas in particular has cast charter backers as trying to destroy public education by “privatizing” it. The charter industry, she said, has been “taken over by charter school management organizations, huge industries that are profiting.”&#xA;&#xA;The resolution prohibits charters from moving onto campuses deemed especially vulnerable to harm by disruption.&#xA;&#xA;It is no coincidence that a resolution to limit campus sharing is arriving at this moment, said board member George McKenna, “because this is the first time since I’ve been on this board we’ve had a non-charter-school majority.”&#xA;&#xA;McKenna and Goldberg - who won office with support from the teacher’s union - are not running for reelection. That means future charter school policy will be at stake next year in school board elections that are typically the most high-spending races in the country.&#xA;&#xA;Voting for the resolution were Goldberg, Rivas, McKenna and Scott Schmerelson. Voting against it were Melvoin and Tanya Ortiz Franklin. Kelly Gonez abstained.&#xA;&#xA;Carlos Montes is a member of Centro CSO.&#xA;&#xA;#LosAngelesCA #PublicEducation #CharterSchools #Community&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/5nI1gOea.jpg" alt="The movement to stop charter schools in LA is scoring wins." title="The movement to stop charter schools in LA is scoring wins."/></p>

<p>Los Angeles, CA – In a hotly debated September 26 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board meeting, a motion to mitigate the negative impact of charter school co-location on public schools passed by 4 yes to 2 no with 1 abstention. </p>



<p>The motion by Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Rociso Rivas called for a study by the superintendent on the negative impact of charter schools that reside inside public schools. The charter industry has used CA Proposition 39, passed in 2000 and enacted in 2003, to target Black and Chicano community public schools to take up classroom space and recruit students. This negatively impacts local public schools with less funding and classroom space.</p>

<p>The September 26 motion makes one of the most significant changes to local charter school policy since the state first required school systems to offer space to charters more than 20 years ago. </p>

<p>United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) led the campaign in support of the motion; uniting with ACCE, Reclaim Our Schools, Eastside Padres and Centro CSO.</p>

<p>The community group Centro CSO led successful campaigns against charter schools at Garfield High School stopping a Green Dot take over, at Roosevelt High School stopping a Collegiate Charter school co-location and stopping KIPP Promesa from building a large charter school in Boyle Heights.</p>

<p>Antonieta Garcia, a mother of LAUSD students, called in to make a public comment supporting the motion and giving examples of how charter schools target students with recruitment campaigns causing lower enrollment in local public schools. </p>

<p>Boyle Heights and East LA are saturated with charter schools due to the former LAUSD board member Monica Garcia opening the door to them. Four of our good public schools have an Extera Charter school on campus – at Second St. Breed, St. Lorena and Eastman elementary schools. East LA also has several KIPP, Arts and Action and now a charter high school Ednovate Esperanza near Garfield High School.</p>

<p>Antonia Montes, a teacher at Eastman Avenue school spoke in person pointing out how Extera charter school took over more space, causing problems at Eastman Avenue school.</p>

<p>“We are saying to that school that the room your staff was using to work with deaf students to do speech therapy is no longer available,” Goldberg said last week. “So go find a corner of your auditorium or, as one of my schools does, find a space on the stairwell in between the first and second floor and have your work with disabled students done.”</p>

<p>Dr. Rocio Rivas in particular has cast charter backers as trying to destroy public education by “privatizing” it. The charter industry, she said, has been “taken over by charter school management organizations, huge industries that are profiting.”</p>

<p>The resolution prohibits charters from moving onto campuses deemed especially vulnerable to harm by disruption.</p>

<p>It is no coincidence that a resolution to limit campus sharing is arriving at this moment, said board member George McKenna, “because this is the first time since I’ve been on this board we’ve had a non-charter-school majority.”</p>

<p>McKenna and Goldberg – who won office with support from the teacher’s union – are not running for reelection. That means future charter school policy will be at stake next year in school board elections that are typically the most high-spending races in the country.</p>

<p>Voting for the resolution were Goldberg, Rivas, McKenna and Scott Schmerelson. Voting against it were Melvoin and Tanya Ortiz Franklin. Kelly Gonez abstained.</p>

<p><em>Carlos Montes is a member of Centro CSO.</em></p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LosAngelesCA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LosAngelesCA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:CharterSchools" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">CharterSchools</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Community" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Community</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-for-public-education-in-la-motion-to-limit-charter-co-locations-passes</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:49:23 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Victory for public education: Dr. Rocio Rivas wins LA school board seat</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-public-education-dr-rocio-rivas-wins-la-school-board-seat?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Centro CSO members and friends canvassing for Dr. Rocio Rivas.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Los Angeles, CA - Dr. Rocio Rivas was finally declared winner in the highly anticipated Los Angeles Unified School District board race for District 2. On December 13 she was sworn in at an LAUSD board meeting. Board member and longtime human rights activist Jackie Goldberg gave her the oath of office while surrounded by family.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;LAUSD District 2 includes East LA, Boyle Heights and several other east area communities. The LAUSD is the second largest in the nation, with majority Chicano students.&#xA;&#xA;In her acceptance speech, Rivas thanked the community, mothers and union members for running a grassroots campaign, pointing out the key role of women in our history of struggle for equality. She spoke of fighting racism and supporting the working class, and how her and family moved to LA from Mexico and their struggles. Rivas acknowledged the history of struggle for public education by the Chicano movement and acknowledged several activists including Carlos Montes.&#xA;&#xA;Dr. Rivas ran a grassroots race with door-to-door canvassing and local outreach efforts. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) had also endorsed Dr. Rivas ran an excellent independent campaign on her behalf. As of December 1, votes total showed Dr. Rivas ahead with 55,159 to loser Maria Brenes with 49,927 votes, a clear victory.&#xA;&#xA;Dr. Rocio Rivas is a parent of an LAUSD student, has a PhD in education, and studied education systems in South America and Europe. She is critical of the neoliberal politics that target privatization of public resources like education. She works with current board member Jackie Goldberg.&#xA;&#xA;The choices were clear, with Dr. Rocio Rivas advocating for public education and holding charter schools accountable. Defeated candidate Maria Brenes had hollow slogans about educational choices, and supported charter schools like KIPP Promesa, which attempted to build a large school in Boyle Heights. Centro CSO organized and sued successfully and in April stopped this KIPP Promesa charter school.&#xA;&#xA;But the community and public did not fall for the million-dollar campaign for Brenes with four to five mailers per week. Brenes benefited from millions from Netflix owner Reed Hastings and big developers. Toward the end, Brenes started sending false attack pieces against Dr. Rivas, but to no avail.&#xA;&#xA;Brenes also had an independent campaign effort directed by the same consultant for Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Javier Gonzalez. A former labor activist, Javier Gonzalez sold out for the money and the politics of hate promoted by now former LA Sheriff Villanueva - who lost his reelection bid. Brenes has been employed by the non-profit InnerCity Struggle with her husband Luis Sanchez. ICS is a fake grassroots group that pretends to do social justice advocacy, but in reality, is anti-union and supports the privatization of public education.&#xA;&#xA;The defeat came despite the millions spent on Brenes’s behalf and came ten years after her husband was defeated in a similar race for LAUSD. The unity of parents, teachers and students to fight for public education made it possible for Dr. Rivas’s victory.&#xA;&#xA;#LosAngelesCA #ChicanoLatino #LAUSD #PublicEducation #Elections&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/fjyIFbyZ.jpg" alt="Centro CSO members and friends canvassing for Dr. Rocio Rivas." title="Centro CSO members and friends canvassing for Dr. Rocio Rivas. \(Fight Back! News/staff\)"/></p>

<p>Los Angeles, CA – Dr. Rocio Rivas was finally declared winner in the highly anticipated Los Angeles Unified School District board race for District 2. On December 13 she was sworn in at an LAUSD board meeting. Board member and longtime human rights activist Jackie Goldberg gave her the oath of office while surrounded by family.</p>



<p>LAUSD District 2 includes East LA, Boyle Heights and several other east area communities. The LAUSD is the second largest in the nation, with majority Chicano students.</p>

<p>In her acceptance speech, Rivas thanked the community, mothers and union members for running a grassroots campaign, pointing out the key role of women in our history of struggle for equality. She spoke of fighting racism and supporting the working class, and how her and family moved to LA from Mexico and their struggles. Rivas acknowledged the history of struggle for public education by the Chicano movement and acknowledged several activists including Carlos Montes.</p>

<p>Dr. Rivas ran a grassroots race with door-to-door canvassing and local outreach efforts. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) had also endorsed Dr. Rivas ran an excellent independent campaign on her behalf. As of December 1, votes total showed Dr. Rivas ahead with 55,159 to loser Maria Brenes with 49,927 votes, a clear victory.</p>

<p>Dr. Rocio Rivas is a parent of an LAUSD student, has a PhD in education, and studied education systems in South America and Europe. She is critical of the neoliberal politics that target privatization of public resources like education. She works with current board member Jackie Goldberg.</p>

<p>The choices were clear, with Dr. Rocio Rivas advocating for public education and holding charter schools accountable. Defeated candidate Maria Brenes had hollow slogans about educational choices, and supported charter schools like KIPP Promesa, which attempted to build a large school in Boyle Heights. Centro CSO organized and sued successfully and in April stopped this KIPP Promesa charter school.</p>

<p>But the community and public did not fall for the million-dollar campaign for Brenes with four to five mailers per week. Brenes benefited from millions from Netflix owner Reed Hastings and big developers. Toward the end, Brenes started sending false attack pieces against Dr. Rivas, but to no avail.</p>

<p>Brenes also had an independent campaign effort directed by the same consultant for Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Javier Gonzalez. A former labor activist, Javier Gonzalez sold out for the money and the politics of hate promoted by now former LA Sheriff Villanueva – who lost his reelection bid. Brenes has been employed by the non-profit InnerCity Struggle with her husband Luis Sanchez. ICS is a fake grassroots group that pretends to do social justice advocacy, but in reality, is anti-union and supports the privatization of public education.</p>

<p>The defeat came despite the millions spent on Brenes’s behalf and came ten years after her husband was defeated in a similar race for LAUSD. The unity of parents, teachers and students to fight for public education made it possible for Dr. Rivas’s victory.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LosAngelesCA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LosAngelesCA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ChicanoLatino" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ChicanoLatino</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LAUSD" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LAUSD</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Elections" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Elections</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/victory-public-education-dr-rocio-rivas-wins-la-school-board-seat</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2022 14:18:26 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Minnesota teachers rally for education funding</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/minnesota-teachers-rally-education-funding?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here.&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of teachers, along with supporters assembled in the State Capitol building rotunda, May 20, for a “Invest in Success Rally for Public Education.” Republicans control the state legislature, and have passed spending bills that fail to adequately fund public education. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed these bills, and observers say it is likely that education finance bills will have to wait for a special secession of the legislature.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The rally was organized by Education Minnesota, and sponsored by AFSCME Council 5, Communications Workers of America MN State Council, Minnesota AFL-CIO, Minnesota Nurses Association, SEIU Minnesota, and Teamsters Local 320.&#xA;&#xA;#StPaulMN #PublicEducation&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/vAuCx22p.jpg" alt="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here." title="Enter a descriptive sentence about the photo here. May 20 rally,  organized by Education Minnesota, demands funding for public education. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>St. Paul, MN – Hundreds of teachers, along with supporters assembled in the State Capitol building rotunda, May 20, for a “Invest in Success Rally for Public Education.” Republicans control the state legislature, and have passed spending bills that fail to adequately fund public education. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed these bills, and observers say it is likely that education finance bills will have to wait for a special secession of the legislature.</p>



<p>The rally was organized by Education Minnesota, and sponsored by AFSCME Council 5, Communications Workers of America MN State Council, Minnesota AFL-CIO, Minnesota Nurses Association, SEIU Minnesota, and Teamsters Local 320.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:StPaulMN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">StPaulMN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/minnesota-teachers-rally-education-funding</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 20 May 2017 21:04:18 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Saint Paul Federation of Teachers sets Feb. 24 strike vote</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/saint-paul-federation-teachers-sets-feb-24-strike-vote?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Saint Paul, MN - On Feb. 10 the Executive Board of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers voted unanimously to call a strike vote for their members on Feb. 24. This comes after almost nine months of contract negotiations in which teachers have put forward bold proposals to defend and improve public education in Saint Paul, which have garnered the support of parents and community members but drawn negative responses from School District officials.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The teachers’ proposals include limiting class sizes and increasing the numbers of counselors, nurses, librarians and art teachers in the schools. These proposals would address universally-acknowledged needs in the schools, but School District officials reject them, saying setting firm limits would be too expensive and would take away “flexibility.”&#xA;&#xA;In light of research that shows that pre-kindergarten education is important to closing the gap between white students and students of color, the teachers also proposed expanding pre-kindergarten access. And in another bold proposal the teachers want the district to agree to opt out of the state&#39;s annual math, reading and science tests, since they force teachers to spend enormous amounts of resources and class time teaching to the standardized test rather than engaging in quality classroom interaction.&#xA;&#xA;The watershed strike by Chicago teachers in late 2012 turned on many similar issues. There is a well-funded and nationally orchestrated push for corporate-backed education reform which is playing out in cities across the country. Central to the corporate education reform playbook in their drive for privatization is blaming teachers for every problem large and small in public schools, and then pushing to weaken teachers’ unions as a supposed obstacle to solutions.&#xA;&#xA;For years most teachers’ unions responded timidly in the face of such attacks, and kept their negotiations narrowly focused on teachers’ wages and benefits. But this approach just opened teachers up to attack for allegedly being ‘selfish’ and not caring about students or their communities or the huge problems facing urban public schools across the country. The Chicago teachers’ strike marked a turning point as the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) directly took on the corporate education reform agenda in their negotiations, making common cause with parents and communities.&#xA;&#xA;Teachers around the country watched Chicago closely and appear to have taken the lessons to heart - timidity in the face of attack has led to defeat, while Chicago teachers’ approach of standing up in defense of public education in alliances with students, parents and communities changed the game. This month in Portland, Oregon teachers voted to strike while raising a broad agenda in defense of public education, and now Saint Paul teachers are also moving toward a strike vote with a broad agenda in favor of students, their communities, and public education.&#xA;&#xA;The next negotiation date is set for February 20, just prior to the Feb. 24 strike vote. If the members vote to strike, a strike could begin anytime after a 10-day notice. School District officials said all classes will be canceled if teachers strike. The St. Paul Federation of Teachers is calling on supporters to sign their petition. They are also calling on members and supporters to mobilize for the Feb. 18 School Board meeting, gathering at 5:00 p.m. at the flagpole in front of district headquarters, at 360 Colborne St., Saint Paul. Follow developments on the St. Paul Federation of Teachers facebook page, and the I Stand with SPFT facebook group.&#xA;&#xA;#SaintPaulMN #teachers #strike #PublicEducation #Strikes #SaintPaulFederationOfTeachers #TeachersUnions&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Saint Paul, MN – On Feb. 10 the Executive Board of the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers voted unanimously to call a strike vote for their members on Feb. 24. This comes after almost nine months of contract negotiations in which teachers have put forward bold proposals to defend and improve public education in Saint Paul, which have garnered the support of parents and community members but drawn negative responses from School District officials.</p>



<p>The teachers’ proposals include limiting class sizes and increasing the numbers of counselors, nurses, librarians and art teachers in the schools. These proposals would address universally-acknowledged needs in the schools, but School District officials reject them, saying setting firm limits would be too expensive and would take away “flexibility.”</p>

<p>In light of research that shows that pre-kindergarten education is important to closing the gap between white students and students of color, the teachers also proposed expanding pre-kindergarten access. And in another bold proposal the teachers want the district to agree to opt out of the state&#39;s annual math, reading and science tests, since they force teachers to spend enormous amounts of resources and class time teaching to the standardized test rather than engaging in quality classroom interaction.</p>

<p>The watershed strike by Chicago teachers in late 2012 turned on many similar issues. There is a well-funded and nationally orchestrated push for corporate-backed education reform which is playing out in cities across the country. Central to the corporate education reform playbook in their drive for privatization is blaming teachers for every problem large and small in public schools, and then pushing to weaken teachers’ unions as a supposed obstacle to solutions.</p>

<p>For years most teachers’ unions responded timidly in the face of such attacks, and kept their negotiations narrowly focused on teachers’ wages and benefits. But this approach just opened teachers up to attack for allegedly being ‘selfish’ and not caring about students or their communities or the huge problems facing urban public schools across the country. The Chicago teachers’ strike marked a turning point as the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) directly took on the corporate education reform agenda in their negotiations, making common cause with parents and communities.</p>

<p>Teachers around the country watched Chicago closely and appear to have taken the lessons to heart – timidity in the face of attack has led to defeat, while Chicago teachers’ approach of standing up in defense of public education in alliances with students, parents and communities changed the game. This month in Portland, Oregon teachers voted to strike while raising a broad agenda in defense of public education, and now Saint Paul teachers are also moving toward a strike vote with a broad agenda in favor of students, their communities, and public education.</p>

<p>The next negotiation date is set for February 20, just prior to the Feb. 24 strike vote. If the members vote to strike, a strike could begin anytime after a 10-day notice. School District officials said all classes will be canceled if teachers strike. The St. Paul Federation of Teachers is calling on supporters to sign their <a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/st-paul-public-schools">petition</a>. They are also calling on members and supporters to mobilize for the Feb. 18 School Board meeting, gathering at 5:00 p.m. at the flagpole in front of district headquarters, at 360 Colborne St., Saint Paul. Follow developments on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Paul-Federation-of-Teachers/141258096681">St. Paul Federation of Teachers facebook page</a>, and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/IStandWithSPFT/">I Stand with SPFT facebook group</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SaintPaulMN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SaintPaulMN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:teachers" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">teachers</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:strike" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">strike</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Strikes" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Strikes</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SaintPaulFederationOfTeachers" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SaintPaulFederationOfTeachers</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TeachersUnions" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TeachersUnions</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/saint-paul-federation-teachers-sets-feb-24-strike-vote</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:53:08 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Chicago Teachers Union fights anti-bargaining bill SB7  </title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/chicago-teachers-union-fights-anti-bargaining-bill-sb7?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Chicago, IL - An anti-bargaining bill disguised as an education reform bill has passed through the Illinois Senate and moved on to the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill called SB7, includes many components that will take away the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) bargaining rights and rights to strike.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;If this bill passes, the CTU will need 75% of a bargaining unit to vote “yes” to strike. 75% is a very difficult number to reach, since the bargaining unit includes agency fee members that do not vote for the union. The CTU will not be able to actually go on strike for many months due to ‘fact finding’ procedures, which could go on into the months of December. After many months of waiting, teachers could be demoralized and lose their enthusiasm to march out of their schools. With these strike restrictions, the teachers have little leverage in their fight for a strong contract, which is a little over a year away for the CTU.&#xA;&#xA;Other components of the bill that reduce workers rights include provisions stating that the union may not file grievances against unfair layoffs with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. It also overturns court cases the union won concerning layoffs and seniority (including a recent court case that restored seniority). Essentially this will remove teachers’ rights of seniority, so layoffs will be left at the discretion of principals, many of whom will try to trim their schools’ budget for teachers’ salaries by firing experienced teachers.&#xA;&#xA;Grievances concerning length of the workday and length of the school year would not be heard by the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. This provision will give the Board of Education or the CEO of Chicago Public Schools free reign to lengthen the school day as they please. The CTU is allowed to bargain for extra pay, but if there is little leverage of a potential strike, then the Board of Education will unlikely agree to extra pay for the teachers. An extended school year is another permissible negotiating item where the board can add days to the school year without considering teacher or community input.&#xA;&#xA;Billionaires and businessmen with no interest in supporting public education were the chief creators of SB7. This bill was created to weaken the teachers’ unions who protect public education and the students in Illinois. If the teachers’ unions are weakened, the businessmen have greater power in the privatization of schools and stealing money from public education. Already 10% of Chicago Public Schools have been turned into non-unionized charter schools and the Chicago Public Schools board of education recently passed proposals for more charter schools.&#xA;&#xA;On May 4, a motion passed through the Chicago Teachers’ Union House of Delegates that condemns the bill and requires the union to “mobilize its members to fight in order to keep our collective bargaining rights.” The Illinois State Board of Education is also upset about components of the bill and is urging the legislators to amend it.&#xA;&#xA;If you care about public schools and you care about workers’ rights, call your Illinois House representative and tell them to “Vote no on SB7.” You can find your representative at: http://www.ctunet.com/action/legislators. Also, call Governor Quinn and tell him to veto SB7 if it passes the house. Quinn’s number is 217-782-0244.&#xA;&#xA;#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #PublicEducation #CollectiveBargaining #publicSectorUnions #teachersUnions&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Chicago, IL – An anti-bargaining bill disguised as an education reform bill has passed through the Illinois Senate and moved on to the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill called SB7, includes many components that will take away the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) bargaining rights and rights to strike.</p>



<p>If this bill passes, the CTU will need 75% of a bargaining unit to vote “yes” to strike. 75% is a very difficult number to reach, since the bargaining unit includes agency fee members that do not vote for the union. The CTU will not be able to actually go on strike for many months due to ‘fact finding’ procedures, which could go on into the months of December. After many months of waiting, teachers could be demoralized and lose their enthusiasm to march out of their schools. With these strike restrictions, the teachers have little leverage in their fight for a strong contract, which is a little over a year away for the CTU.</p>

<p>Other components of the bill that reduce workers rights include provisions stating that the union may not file grievances against unfair layoffs with the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. It also overturns court cases the union won concerning layoffs and seniority (including a recent court case that restored seniority). Essentially this will remove teachers’ rights of seniority, so layoffs will be left at the discretion of principals, many of whom will try to trim their schools’ budget for teachers’ salaries by firing experienced teachers.</p>

<p>Grievances concerning length of the workday and length of the school year would not be heard by the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. This provision will give the Board of Education or the CEO of Chicago Public Schools free reign to lengthen the school day as they please. The CTU is allowed to bargain for extra pay, but if there is little leverage of a potential strike, then the Board of Education will unlikely agree to extra pay for the teachers. An extended school year is another permissible negotiating item where the board can add days to the school year without considering teacher or community input.</p>

<p>Billionaires and businessmen with no interest in supporting public education were the chief creators of SB7. This bill was created to weaken the teachers’ unions who protect public education and the students in Illinois. If the teachers’ unions are weakened, the businessmen have greater power in the privatization of schools and stealing money from public education. Already 10% of Chicago Public Schools have been turned into non-unionized charter schools and the Chicago Public Schools board of education recently passed proposals for more charter schools.</p>

<p>On May 4, a motion passed through the Chicago Teachers’ Union House of Delegates that condemns the bill and requires the union to “mobilize its members to fight in order to keep our collective bargaining rights.” The Illinois State Board of Education is also upset about components of the bill and is urging the legislators to amend it.</p>

<p>If you care about public schools and you care about workers’ rights, call your Illinois House representative and tell them to “Vote no on SB7.” You can find your representative at: <a href="http://www.ctunet.com/action/legislators">http://www.ctunet.com/action/legislators</a>. Also, <strong>call Governor Quinn and tell him to veto SB7</strong> if it passes the house. Quinn’s number is <strong>217-782-0244</strong>.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ChicagoIL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ChicagoIL</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PeoplesStruggles" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PeoplesStruggles</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:CollectiveBargaining" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">CollectiveBargaining</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:publicSectorUnions" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">publicSectorUnions</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:teachersUnions" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">teachersUnions</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/chicago-teachers-union-fights-anti-bargaining-bill-sb7</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 May 2011 04:09:28 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>University of Minnesota Joins in National Day of Action for Education Rights </title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/university-minnesota-joins-national-day-action-education-rights?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Activist speaking at University of Minnesota Rally&#34;)&#xA;&#xA;Minneapolis, MN - Students for a Democratic Society at the U of M held a rally, March 2, in front of the student union to demand no tuition hikes, no staff layoffs and shared governance for all members of the university community. It was part of a day of action called by Students for a Democratic Society nationally. Despite extreme temperatures, 50 students, staff and faculty attended, chanting, &#34;Fund education, not administration,&#34; and &#34;They say cut back? We say fight back!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Speakers included representatives from SDS, AFSCME local 3800 (the fighting clerical workers&#39; union), La Raza Student Cultural Center, Faculty for the Renewal of Public Education and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.&#xA;&#xA;Tracy Molm, SDS member and organizer for AFSCME local 3800, spoke on behalf of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, saying, &#34;I am sick of U.S. tax dollars funding wars instead of educations.&#34;&#xA;&#xA;Another demand of the education rights campaign at the U of M is, &#34;Hands off the cultural centers.&#34; The second floor of the student union at the U of M is made up of student cultural centers and student group office spaces. The entire floor is under threat as the administration considers replacing it with homogenous resource center and refuses to consider the importance of this community to the university. SDS speaker Chris Getowitz stated that SDS, while not a second floor group, stands in solidarity with these organizations: &#34;The second floor is a safe space for marginalized voices on this campus. The U of M should be expanding these spaces, not eliminating them!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;There was also a focus on the struggle happening in the neighboring state of Wisconsin, where workers are fighting for collective bargaining rights. AFSCME 3800 Chief Steward Cherrene Horazuk talked about the importance of standing in solidarity with people around the world and at home fighting for their rights, &#34;...united we bargain, but divided we beg.&#34; SDS and AFSCME Local 3800 committed to continue to stand in solidarity with those fighting in Wisconsin.&#xA;&#xA;#UniversityOfMinnesota #MinneapolisMN #SDS #PublicEducation #March2ndNationalDayOfActionToDefendPublicEducation&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/N5Zk8O0h.jpg" alt="Activist speaking at University of Minnesota Rally" title="Activist speaking at University of Minnesota Rally Uriel Rosales of La Raza Student Cultural Center speaking March 2. \(Fight Back! News/Staff\)"/></p>

<p>Minneapolis, MN – Students for a Democratic Society at the U of M held a rally, March 2, in front of the student union to demand no tuition hikes, no staff layoffs and shared governance for all members of the university community. It was part of a day of action called by Students for a Democratic Society nationally. Despite extreme temperatures, 50 students, staff and faculty attended, chanting, “Fund education, not administration,” and “They say cut back? We say fight back!”</p>



<p>Speakers included representatives from SDS, AFSCME local 3800 (the fighting clerical workers&#39; union), La Raza Student Cultural Center, Faculty for the Renewal of Public Education and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.</p>

<p>Tracy Molm, SDS member and organizer for AFSCME local 3800, spoke on behalf of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, saying, “I am sick of U.S. tax dollars funding wars instead of educations.”</p>

<p>Another demand of the education rights campaign at the U of M is, “Hands off the cultural centers.” The second floor of the student union at the U of M is made up of student cultural centers and student group office spaces. The entire floor is under threat as the administration considers replacing it with homogenous resource center and refuses to consider the importance of this community to the university. SDS speaker Chris Getowitz stated that SDS, while not a second floor group, stands in solidarity with these organizations: “The second floor is a safe space for marginalized voices on this campus. The U of M should be expanding these spaces, not eliminating them!”</p>

<p>There was also a focus on the struggle happening in the neighboring state of Wisconsin, where workers are fighting for collective bargaining rights. AFSCME 3800 Chief Steward Cherrene Horazuk talked about the importance of standing in solidarity with people around the world and at home fighting for their rights, “...united we bargain, but divided we beg.” SDS and AFSCME Local 3800 committed to continue to stand in solidarity with those fighting in Wisconsin.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:UniversityOfMinnesota" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">UniversityOfMinnesota</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MinneapolisMN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MinneapolisMN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SDS" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SDS</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:March2ndNationalDayOfActionToDefendPublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">March2ndNationalDayOfActionToDefendPublicEducation</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/university-minnesota-joins-national-day-action-education-rights</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:02:53 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Teachers Not Going Back to School: 50,000 Public Education Jobs Cut in September</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/50000-public-education-jobs-cut-september?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[San José, CA - On Oct. 8, the Department of Labor reported that local public schools had cut 49,800 jobs in September. Included in the layoffs this fall was kindergarten teacher Amanda VanNess, who stood with President Obama when he signed a bill giving $26 billion to local schools in August of 2009. While this federal stimulus money did save Ms. VanNess’ job in the Toledo (Ohio) Public School District in 2009, she was laid off this fall as the district’s drop in students led to another round of cuts.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;In addition to the job losses at local public schools, state and local governments cut another 33,000 jobs in September. The federal government cut another 76,000 jobs, almost all U.S. census workers, for a total loss of 159,000 government jobs last month. These government job cuts overwhelmed the 64,000 net new hires at private businesses, for a total loss of 95,000 jobs. This is the fourth month in a row that the economy has lost jobs.&#xA;&#xA;With the recession declared officially over as of June 2009 by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Business Cycles Dating Committee, the economy is now in another jobless recovery. Over the last 15 months ,between the end of the recession and last month, the economy has lost more than 400,000 jobs, on top of the 7.35 million jobs lost during the recession. This pattern is now typical of the business cycle, with the last three recessions (1990-91, 2001, and 2007-2009) all having ‘jobless recoveries.’ In contrast, following the 1981-82 recession, more than 4 million jobs were created in the first 15 months following the end of the recession.&#xA;&#xA;Job losses at state and local governments are likely to continue. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that state and local governments could shed almost a million more jobs over the next two years as they face hundreds of billions of dollars of budget deficits. On top of this, federal aid to state and local governments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, which was an $800 billion, two-year economic stimulus program, will start to run out at the end of this year.&#xA;&#xA;California is an example of how state and local budget deficits are leading to big spending cuts and job losses. With California facing a $19 billion budget deficit, California legislators voted to balance the budget with a combination of spending cuts, optimistic assumptions and creative accounting. Education spending was cut by $3.3 billion. Another $1.9 billion that schools were owed was postponed until next year. Another $4 billion will be cut from health care, state workers pay and pensions and other state programs. In contrast, only $1.3 billion of revenues will come from postponing a corporate tax cut. $7.9 billion of revenue is assumed from federal aid, improving tax revenues as the economy recovers and sales of state buildings.&#xA;&#xA;While the official unemployment rate stayed the same between August and September, this was only because the number of part-time workers who want to work full time rose by 612,000 in September, while the number of full-time workers actually fell. The broadest measure of unemployment, that includes these part-time workers who want full-time work as well as those who have given up looking for work and thus are not counted in the official unemployment rate, rose 17.1% in September from 16.7% in August.&#xA;&#xA;While corporate profits and the stock market have been on a tear, working people are facing more job cuts and more temporary and part-time jobs replacing what used to be full-time work. The facts are clear: despite the official end to the recession, there is no recovery for working people.&#xA;&#xA;#SanJoséCA #Unemployment #PublicEducation&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>San José, CA – On Oct. 8, the Department of Labor reported that local public schools had cut 49,800 jobs in September. Included in the layoffs this fall was kindergarten teacher Amanda VanNess, who stood with President Obama when he signed a bill giving $26 billion to local schools in August of 2009. While this federal stimulus money did save Ms. VanNess’ job in the Toledo (Ohio) Public School District in 2009, she was laid off this fall as the district’s drop in students led to another round of cuts.</p>



<p>In addition to the job losses at local public schools, state and local governments cut another 33,000 jobs in September. The federal government cut another 76,000 jobs, almost all U.S. census workers, for a total loss of 159,000 government jobs last month. These government job cuts overwhelmed the 64,000 net new hires at private businesses, for a total loss of 95,000 jobs. This is the fourth month in a row that the economy has lost jobs.</p>

<p>With the recession declared officially over as of June 2009 by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Business Cycles Dating Committee, the economy is now in another jobless recovery. Over the last 15 months ,between the end of the recession and last month, the economy has lost more than 400,000 jobs, on top of the 7.35 million jobs lost during the recession. This pattern is now typical of the business cycle, with the last three recessions (1990-91, 2001, and 2007-2009) all having ‘jobless recoveries.’ In contrast, following the 1981-82 recession, more than 4 million jobs were created in the first 15 months following the end of the recession.</p>

<p>Job losses at state and local governments are likely to continue. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that state and local governments could shed almost a million more jobs over the next two years as they face hundreds of billions of dollars of budget deficits. On top of this, federal aid to state and local governments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, which was an $800 billion, two-year economic stimulus program, will start to run out at the end of this year.</p>

<p>California is an example of how state and local budget deficits are leading to big spending cuts and job losses. With California facing a $19 billion budget deficit, California legislators voted to balance the budget with a combination of spending cuts, optimistic assumptions and creative accounting. Education spending was cut by $3.3 billion. Another $1.9 billion that schools were owed was postponed until next year. Another $4 billion will be cut from health care, state workers pay and pensions and other state programs. In contrast, only $1.3 billion of revenues will come from postponing a corporate tax cut. $7.9 billion of revenue is assumed from federal aid, improving tax revenues as the economy recovers and sales of state buildings.</p>

<p>While the official unemployment rate stayed the same between August and September, this was only because the number of part-time workers who want to work full time rose by 612,000 in September, while the number of full-time workers actually fell. The broadest measure of unemployment, that includes these part-time workers who want full-time work as well as those who have given up looking for work and thus are not counted in the official unemployment rate, rose 17.1% in September from 16.7% in August.</p>

<p>While corporate profits and the stock market have been on a tear, working people are facing more job cuts and more temporary and part-time jobs replacing what used to be full-time work. The facts are clear: despite the official end to the recession, there is no recovery for working people.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:SanJos%C3%A9CA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">SanJoséCA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Unemployment" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Unemployment</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PublicEducation" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PublicEducation</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/50000-public-education-jobs-cut-september</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:37:02 +0000</pubDate>
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