March 4 National Day of Action to Defend Education

[Time2Beep]

Quote:

As people throughout the country struggle under the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, public education from pre-K to higher and adult education is threatened by budget cuts, layoffs, privatization, tuition and fee increases, and other attacks. Budget cuts degrade the quality of public education by decreasing student services and increasing class size, while tuition hikes and layoffs force the cost of the recession onto students and teachers and off of the financial institutions that caused the recession in the first place. Non-unionized charter schools threaten to divide, weaken and privatize the public school system and damage teachers’ unions, which are needed now more than ever. More and more students are going deep into debt to finance their education, while high unemployment forces many students and youth to join the military to receive a higher education. And all of the attacks described above have hit working people and people of color the hardest.

In California, students, teachers, workers, parents, and faculty have taken action against these attacks. They took to the streets in a one-day strike on September 24th, organized strikes and actions across the state during the University of California Board of Regents meeting from November 18th to 20th, and have called for a state-wide day of action on March 4th. These actions have created a broad mass movement in California, drawing in students from all over the state to create a powerful struggle. As the effects of the economic crisis continue to spread into the education system nationally, it’s time to join our voices with students and workers in California and draw inspiration from their example.

We support each group or coalition organizing in the manner and for the duration of their choosing. In solidarity with those in California, we the below-signed individuals and organizations call on students, teachers, workers, parents, faculty, and staff across the country to join together on March 4th to Take A Stand For Education!

More info here

Did anyone actually go to the protest?

I'm in San Francisco and the one in Civic Center was packed with students, parents, teachers, supporters, news reporters, etc.

It was a great time for everyone to express themselves!  

[Irako of the Desert]

At my college, the Coalition Of Students and Teachers organized a walk-out day in order to protest the budget cuts. They told to students to walk out of class as a form of 'civil disobedience'. I didn't participate because I felt like it was counter-intuitive to walk out of a class I'm paying for. We've already had a week of classes cut from every semester, I'm not skipping more to protest at people who already know the situation. Everyone on my campus already knows what's been going on. Thanks to our campus newspaper, a good majority should know that furlough days and tuition hikes are quite unpopular among the students.

The protest actually got kind of violent and required the presence of riot police. They were walking through buildings and shouting, disrupting classes. Apparently, they weren't supposed to according to campus regulations, but I'm not inclined to argue with a mob.

The protests that take place on my campus are ineffective because they're aimed at the wrong people. They're trying to make the University cough up more money in order to pay less in tuition and get more classes. Simply put, the University doesn't have any more money! The protesters should take a hike up to the president of the entire system. Or better yet, the Governor of California would do nicely. Unfortunately, they're incapable of taking no for an answer and wouldn't believe anyone if they said they had no more money to give.

mad I don't like the protests. I'm all for freedom of expression, but these ones that have been happening at my campus are starting to become redundant. Rather than shouting about how they don't like the problem, maybe we should start a project and try fixing it. Create a plan, propose it to state congress, and do our darndest to get it implemented.  

[lightangel33]

My thoughts on the budget cut are these... i am worried. I myself want to be an art teacher, and art classes are the first to be cut because the government feels art as not neccessary. I think art is neccessary because the governors wounldn't be wearing their fancy tuxs if it wasn't for art. Art helps to stimulate the mind and can be a sort of therapy. I think the government should try to come up with something so classes aren't cut. Because if art classes are cut, who knows what classes will be next. Will it be Music? Drama? PE?  

[stacieakapink5]

Here in michigan we have seen some major school budget cuts. All of the old teachers are retiring and being filled with new and somewhat inexpierienced ones. Being just out of school myself I cant say I agree or disagree with either side of the argument. However, I have seen alot of good programs cut within the news. In many schools they have quit their marching band/extra curricular music programs. In my opinion the issue to be addressed is which program do we cut? Is it really fair to the band students to cut their program over the science program?
There are so many questions but no one seems to have an answer. Therefore I say that we leave it up to the individual school district to choose one way or the other.
(Like my opinion really matters...never said I was a politics expert just giving my two cents)  

[Lyaid1]

I was in the hospital. And I'm in NYC anyway. . . crying  

[StuckInARhyme]

Nevada has always gotten a horrible rap for bad education, both secondary and college-level. It's gotten even worse recently, but we don't have enough colleges or activism to compete with California's. I'm honestly considering going abroad or transferring schools because as a Linguistics/English major, the programs that are really important to me are going to get cut.  

[heavyblade yuki]

i cant believe the government is doing this to our scools!! we're deiantly their future and out future prez is going to be one of us kids one da r they going to cut their future prz's education!! stressed its too selfish of them. even tho they cut jobs wich hopefully they dont so anymore, y cut OUR education!! our lives r being ruined by the economy!!  

[OtakuKittyKat]

I live in San Bernardino and I am a Junior at Cajon High School. One of the best schools in the entire city, but one thing, we are underfunded. Other schools... *Cough*San Bernardino High School, Arroyo Valley, Pacific and San Gonornio.*Cough* Get all the funding because of low test scores. Seriously, F*ck bush for passing the No Child Left Behind.  

[FlowerFaerie1216]

I think instead of cutting school budgets they need to find a way to cut costs elsewhere. Kids are the future and you can't skip out on them. The school systems are bad enough already as it is.  

[Time2Beep]

Of course, the government sucks lol.  

[Popobubble]

Its saddening the fact that people want you to have education, but don't want to put the money down on it.

I am a student at IADT- Chicago

And with our money budget we have to get ride of a floor to our school and give it to the other people in the building. So sad. My school rents out 3 floors and soon to be 2.... So sad  

[Irako of the Desert]

I found out something interesting about the protests at my college (CSUN). About half of the protesters deviated from the scheduled route and went to sit in the middle of an intersection. What I have to say next is secondhand information, so take it with a grain of salt. I think it's reliable because it came from one of my professors who knows the people involved in the incident I'm about to describe.

The protesters who sat in the middle of the intersection were not supposed to be there. They were supposed to follow a pre-scheduled route. Instead, they performed an act of civil disobedience. The police showed up in full riot gear. A professor of Native American studies, age 73, got in between the police and the student protesters to act as a mediator/voice of reason. Nobody's really clear on what happened next, but the police began to push forward in order to "take action to stop a riot". The professor was pushed to the ground and up against the curb, stepped on, and supposedly beaten by the police. She is currently hospitalized with a broken arm set with a steel rod and spinal injuries. The police report says a male student with a knife attacked the professor. The professor herself hasn't made any statement yet.

There are Youtube videos of this, I'm told. One of my classmates has the professor who was hospitalized for a class. He's supposed to get us more details by Tuesday. This story wasn't reported on any news yet.  

[ada-rocs]

NOT FAIR OUR FAVORITE TEACHER IN 7TH GRADE MIGHT GET FIRED, PE IN OUR SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE AN ELECTIVE THERE IS NO MORE ON CAMPUS SUSPENSION AND OUR CLASS SIZED ARE GOING UP FROM 40 TO 50 ! NO THIS IS NOT FAIR!  

[Rein Shadowin]

They need to find something else to cut. Like maybe they should buy cheeper school lunches. Or maybe they shouldnt make so many churches!
There has got to be something else they can friggen cut!