October 7th Day of Action and October 30-31st Mobilizing Conference
In Defense of Public Education and Public Services
The historic actions, protests and strikes of last Fall and Spring showed
our state and the nation that students, teachers, staff, and our communities
are determined to fight against the cuts, layoffs, fee hikes, and the
shrinking access to public education and services. However, our fight is far
from over. On October 7th, supporters of public education plan to unite and
demand accessible, affordable and quality education for all.
Public higher-education is an engine of economic growth that benefits all
communities at large, but students of color across the nation are being
tracked into non-academic programs while ethnic and multi-cultural classes
are being cut. As public universities raise tuitions to the level of private
institutions, students of all ethnicities are being denied access to
higher-education on the basis of income- an economic barrier that
disproportionately affects people of color.
The knowledge and innovation coming from graduates of state-supported
universities create far more wealth in the state than the education’s cost.
Better educated citizens are shown to be more productive, pay higher taxes,
create a stronger economy, and provide more jobs. Thus, it is important to
seek out more revenue sources to support education and public institutions,
rather than focusing on decreasing funding.
The politicians and administrators say there is no money for education and
social services. But if there is money for tax cuts and prisons, why is
there no money for public education? Schools are now suffering from
inadequate staffing and pay-cuts. However, California’s budget cuts are not
only restricted to the education system. Our health services, public
infrastructure, transportation and library systems will also continue to
deteriorate. These issues are all intertwined. How do we stop the
degeneration of California?
We, the people, have the democratic power to beat back these attacks and
ensure that our public institutions effectively serve the public. But to do
so, members of all regions and sectors ? adult-ed, students, workers,
teachers, activists, unions, and community organizations ? must unite and
take action on October 7th, and contribute our voices and thoughts to the
October 30-31 conference at San Francisco State University to defend public
education.
The purpose of the October 30-31 conference is to democratically propose
demands, devise an action plan, and create a structure capable of defending
public education and public services for the benefit of all.
We invite all supporters of education across the nation to attend and
participate in the October 7th day of action and the October 30-31st
conference. For more information, visit
http://defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com.