Monday 25 to 30,000 in Oklahoma protested school funding at state capitol. Proud of them.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Fri Apr 4, 2014, 01:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Estimated 25,000 converge on Oklahoma state Capitol for education rally

An estimated 25,000 teachers and others from across the state, many wearing red shirts and waving signs and banners, swarmed the state Capitol on Monday to demand more money for public education.

“We are being asked to do more and more in education every year with less money,” said Debra Robins, one of about 140 teachers from Newcastle Public Schools who rode buses to the midmorning rally. “We need the help. We love what we do. We love teaching, but we want to be able to do it right.”

Appropriations to public schools are about $200 million less than in 2009, although there are about 40,000 more public school students than there were five years ago, according to statistics from the Oklahoma Education Coalition.

Many of those at the rally — the likes of which had not been seen since thousands attended a demonstration 24 years ago in support of an education reform bill known as House Bill 1017 — had signs stating: “678,000 Reasons to Fund Education.” That’s the number of students enrolled in Oklahoma’s public schools.

More about this. One estimate has 30,000.

Coalition: Oklahoma schools have 35,000 more students, $200 million less in the budget

OKLAHOMA CITY - Waving homemade signs and dancing to music, thousands of teachers across Oklahoma descended on the Oklahoma State Capitol Monday morning for a massive “rally for education” to support an increase to education funding.

The rally, which was sponsored by the Oklahoma Education Coalition, was ready to welcome up to 25,000 educators and parents at the Capitol.

According to OHP, they estimate more than 30,000 people attended today’s rally at the State Capitol.

This should get attention. There are many protests and rallies like this going on around the country, and national media seems to ignore it. This is one of the largest numbers I have seen.

They are rallying in support of public education. Did you ever think there would come a time in this country of ours when we would have to defend public education? I did not.

[NYC_SKP]

1. More of this...

...Please!

[madfloridian]

10. Amen.

Teachers are rallying all over the country, but it's very hard to find media coverage. There have been some in Florida as well.

[riversedge]

2. whow. reminds me of Wisconsin during winter and

spring of 2011.

I hope they have better luck than we did.

[madfloridian]

9. I don't think anyone in power will pay attention.

Lessening funding to public schools is a bipartisan thing, so no one is really listening.

It is heartwarming to see them taking such a stand.

[socialist_n_TN]

19. I agree. Until you get into their pocketbooks (read: profit margin)......

they WON'T pay attention.

However, it's good to see that in Oklahoma this many teachers will turn out for a demonstration. Oklahoma, like Tennessee, is not known as a very labor friendly state. That's pretty encouraging in and of itself. It's gonna take more than a feel good demonstration though to get the attention of the ones that own us all.

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[onestepforward]

4. Wow!

Awesome photo!

[sabrina 1]

5. Great to see teachers doing this. Enough of the privatization of our public schools.

I hope tens of thousands of parents join them and I hope they keep doing this.

Fantastic photos. Good for them!

[madfloridian]

6. Really proud of them.

[johnnyreb]

7. 25,000 *teachers*

Not just "protesters"... not just "people"... *teachers*! A SUBset! K&R.

[madfloridian]

8. Actually number included students and parents...I edited.

[4lbs]

11. I bet the OK Gov was simply thinking "What's with all the truant kids? That's the problem with

public education!"

[Nanjing to Seoul]

12. This is a protest that matters. 40 in Berkeley isn't anything.

If you're going to protest, go for broke.

[madfloridian]

16. Small numbers count. These are going on all over the country.

They matter. Heart of Oklahoma esp. important.

[bearssoapbox]

13. Good for them!

Hopefully they will eventually make a difference.

Here in Ohio Kashits has raided/cut the school and city funds while giving huge tax breaks to existing and new business.

In the teabagger county that I live in though, all you here is how President Obama has ruined the economy. That's why the schools, cities and towns have no money.

When you say anything to them their eyes go blank until you get done talking and they act like you haven't said anything and they just continue on with their diatribe against the President and democrats.

Sure, we have a lower jobless rate. But the taxes are being paid by the workers and not the companies.

Meanwhile the dumbass teabaggers are voting for most of the levies and school bonds and guess who they blame for their local taxes going up.

Hint...

It's not Kashits.

[madfloridian]

18. Bad stuff going on in Florida also.

So a last kick for Oklahoma teachers and parents because they are voters, too. And because they want good public schools.

[madfloridian]

14. Philly to protest tomorrow. One shirt says I teach I vote.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/04/04/students-teachers-lace-up-to-protest-state-of-philly-schools/

“We’re doing this because some schools have no counselors, no librarians, no nurses, no supplies, no books,” he tells KYW Newsradio.

Doesn't look large, but low numbers count also.

[madfloridian]

15. Newark protested plans to close schools.

http://www.nj.com/education/2014/03/hundreds_protest_newarks_plan_to_close_schools_and_lay_off_teachers.html

Several hundred Newark parents, teachers, students and community activists rallied in Trenton today to demand the return of local control of Newark schools and full funding for the state’s largest school district.

Chanting “public schools are our schools” and “Cami must go,” the crowd marched and cheered for more than 90 minutes in the bitter cold outside the Statehouse.

Lots more on a search.

[madfloridian]

17. Huge 2013 New York rally I never heard about till now.

http://www.nysut.org/news/2013/june/iannuzzi-sed-needs-to-get-it-right

Iannuzzi delivers welcome news that elicits a sustained cheer on behalf of science educators across the state: "Because of the hard work of the NYSUT Board of Directors and local presidents," Iannuzzi said, the State Education Department has reversed its "absurd" guidance assigning teachers a zero for students who had not completed enough lab hours to sit for a Regents exam.

After seeing public education come under siege across the country, Iannuzzi says the need to create "a New York state moment where we come together to speak with one voice about the future of public education – celebrating educators, not demonizing them; supporting quality in higher education, not gimmicks; and sideshows and pathways that lead to no place." He offers support for Dreamers and talks of the need to fix a broken and undemocratic tax cap.

Iannuzzi is referring to remarks made by SED Commissioner John King last week claiming that NYSUT is "trying to create a more tense environment around testing."

"We don't have any concerns about accountability if you do it right and it's fair!" Iannuzzi said. "Mr. Commissioner, how much more tense can it get?"