'Pink Hearts' Campaign Kicks Off on National Teacher Day

[proud2BlibKansan]

With staggering education budget cuts likely to leave more than a quarter-million educators out of work and children without important educational services, the AFT officially kicked off its "Pink Hearts, Not Pink Slips" campaign on National Teacher Day, calling for passage of federal legislation to avert these cuts.

AFT president Randi Weingarten discussed the effort at a May 4 Capitol Hill news conference with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa); Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.); two teachers who already have received pink slips, Justin Hons of Cleveland and Joelle Beck of O'Fallon Township, Ill.; and two parents who are concerned about the consequences of severe cuts in their school districts, Yolanda Francis of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and O'Cynthia Williams of New York City.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has estimated that as many as 300,000 teachers and other school staff could be laid off by fall. "The level and magnitude of these cuts are staggering and unsustainable. The number of educators being pink-slipped is about the same size as the entire population of Toledo, Ohio," Weingarten said. "This is about saving the next generation—teacher jobs are synonymous with education for our kids."

Starting May 4, hundreds of thousands of AFT members are wearing pink heart buttons and signing an online petition to support legislation sponsored by Sen. Harkin and Rep. Miller to provide $23 billion to help school districts avoid layoffs in K-12 schools and higher education.

more . . . http://www.aft.org/newspubs/news/2010/050410pink.cfm

[Dinger]

1. Wow! Thank You! K & R!

:) :thumbsup: :hi: :hug: :yourock:

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. You are welcome

:)

[LWolf]

3. Where can I get a pink heart?

I'm NEA, but it is a timely message for us all.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. They are supposed to be delivering them to our buildings this week

PM me your school address and I'll see if I can get an extra one for you.

[Ava83]

5. We passed around

an email to the community to have the kids wear pink...my girl wore pink happily for her teachers and staff today. She said a tons of kids wore pink today!