Teachers union leader's roundtable focuses on funding
AFT's Weingarten hosts meeting on continued legacy of Brown v. Board
Following up on a point made by a granddaughter of a Brown v. Board plaintiff about the importance of extracurriculars, Randi Weingarten told a group of education advocates Saturday that they were on the right track.
"There's actually research that shows that kids who have music (class) graduate," Weingarten said, leaning forward and tapping a table with her hand for emphasis. "There's research that shows this."
Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers and leader of its 1.5 million educators.
She visited Topeka on the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision, saying the city is important because of the legacy of that case.
Weingarten convened a meeting at the AFT office at 1300 SW Topeka to discuss how to "take the legal imperative of Brown and make it a moral imperative."
The meeting included union leaders, religious leaders, parents, an 11-year-old student and Lucinda Noches Talbert, granddaughter of Brown v. Board plaintiff Lucinda Todd.
The discussion was tinged with criticism of conservative political policies that speakers said prevented back-filling of education dollars lost during the recession and led to a lack of school Teachers union leader's roundtable focuses on funding | CJOnline.com: