Protest the Gates Foundation’s takeover of public schools | Seattle Education:

Protest the Gates Foundation’s takeover of public schools

Announcement issued by local teachers:

Teachers Rally To Highlight Proposed Budget Cuts

Protest the Gates Foundation

Rally at Westlake Park

(401 Pine St, Seattle)

March to Gates Foundation

(440 5th Ave N, Seattle)

June 26th at 5:00 PM

Our schools are under attack from the mega rich who seek to reduce education to standardized test scores while busting unions & denying at-risk youth a rich and holistic school experiences. To broaden and deepen public awareness about this, the BadAss Teachers (BATs) of Washington and their allies are protesting the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday June 26th.

The Gates Foundation is a symbolic site because many of their experimental ‘reforms’ have done untold damage to our school system. Over-testing, charter schools, replacing teachers with computers, competitive grants, Teach for America, new standards profiting publishing companies instead of funding basic education; these will continue until we rise up and say “NO!” Educators should lead education, not profit-driven entities and their foundations.

The monetary power of the Gates Foundation has changed the face of our country’s school policy and agenda.

With this protest we galvanize a coalition of supporters to demand that teacher assessments are measuring student learning, that education policy is transparently and democratically created, and that every child’s needs are met in their public school.

Our Demands

Redirect monies spent on experimental school reforms to empower citizens and promote whole child education. Further, we demand that philanthropists and the rest of the 1% pay their fair share for a socially just society.

Speakers:

Educator Anthony Cody

Seattle Councilperson Kshama Sawant

From Westlake Park we will march to the corner of 5th Avenue N and Mercer with chants and our chorus leading songs about positive education themes.

This march and rally have been endorsed by:

Seattle Education Association

Renton Education Association

Highline Education Association

Tacoma Education Association

Marysville Education Association

Reynolds Education Association

Social Equality Educators (SEE) of SEA