Indiana Coalition for Public Education--MCSCI April 2, 2013
Contact: Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, Chair FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: 812-320-4400
Email: [email protected]
INDIANA COALITION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION PRESENTS COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON DEFENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Fort Wayne activists, Bloomington blogger to present contexts for current crisis
Bloomington, Indiana--The mood is urgent for grassroots organizers inviting the public to "Why Defend Our Public Schools Now? A Community Conversation about Getting Involved" on Tuesday, April 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Bloomington City Hall Council Chambers.
Indiana's public schools are losing essential resources as legislators funnel more public education dollars to charter and private schools. Already hit hard by funding cuts, school districts are closing schools, cutting bus service, increasing class sizes, and reducing basic curricula such as art, music, physical education, science, and foreign language.
Tuesday's meeting will feature presentations by Phyllis Bush and Anne Duff, both education activists from Fort Wayne, and by local journalist Steve Hinnefeld, who blogs at School Matters on Indiana education policy. Bush and Duff are founders of the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education (NEIFPE), which has worked to expose the devastating impact on Allen County schools of recent "reforms" that emphasize testing and privatization. NEIFPE participated in the grassroots social network that propelled teacher Glenda Ritz to victory in last year's state superintendent election; Hinnefeld's blog posts on incumbent Tony Bennett's out-of-state campaign contributions likely also played a role in that upset. Bush is helping spearhead the Network for Public Education, a newly formed national advocacy group whose founding members also include Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody.
An opportunity for audience participation and discussion will follow the presentations.
"Public education is the best hope we have for a democratic society," says Bush. "Protecting our public schools' ability to support the well-being of all children is a civil rights issue."
This event was initially scheduled for March 25, but was canceled because of the snow. It is sponsored by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education--Monroe County and South Central Indiana (https://sites.google.com/site/icpemonroe/).
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For further information, please contact Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer at 812-320-4400.
Contact: Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, Chair FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: 812-320-4400
Email: [email protected]
INDIANA COALITION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION PRESENTS COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON DEFENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Fort Wayne activists, Bloomington blogger to present contexts for current crisis
Bloomington, Indiana--The mood is urgent for grassroots organizers inviting the public to "Why Defend Our Public Schools Now? A Community Conversation about Getting Involved" on Tuesday, April 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Bloomington City Hall Council Chambers.
Indiana's public schools are losing essential resources as legislators funnel more public education dollars to charter and private schools. Already hit hard by funding cuts, school districts are closing schools, cutting bus service, increasing class sizes, and reducing basic curricula such as art, music, physical education, science, and foreign language.
Tuesday's meeting will feature presentations by Phyllis Bush and Anne Duff, both education activists from Fort Wayne, and by local journalist Steve Hinnefeld, who blogs at School Matters on Indiana education policy. Bush and Duff are founders of the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education (NEIFPE), which has worked to expose the devastating impact on Allen County schools of recent "reforms" that emphasize testing and privatization. NEIFPE participated in the grassroots social network that propelled teacher Glenda Ritz to victory in last year's state superintendent election; Hinnefeld's blog posts on incumbent Tony Bennett's out-of-state campaign contributions likely also played a role in that upset. Bush is helping spearhead the Network for Public Education, a newly formed national advocacy group whose founding members also include Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody.
An opportunity for audience participation and discussion will follow the presentations.
"Public education is the best hope we have for a democratic society," says Bush. "Protecting our public schools' ability to support the well-being of all children is a civil rights issue."
This event was initially scheduled for March 25, but was canceled because of the snow. It is sponsored by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education--Monroe County and South Central Indiana (https://sites.google.com/site/icpemonroe/).
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For further information, please contact Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer at 812-320-4400.