Durham teachers union fights privatization efforts
DURHAM
The Durham Association of Educators has launched a campaign to fight those pushing to privatize public schools.
“Public schools are under attack,” said Bryan Proffitt, president of the Durham Public Schools teachers’ union, the Durham Association of Educators.
“It’s a well-funded, well-coordinated attack that is actually international in its effort,” he said. “And everybody needs to be clear that this attack has one goal, and that’s the privatization of public schools so folks that have resources can find one more place to suck profit out of this economy.”
Proffit spoke at a meeting held by the Durham Council of PTAs and the Durham Association of Educators, which has about 600 members. About 70 parents, teachers and community members attended.
Privatization advocates are framing the attack, Proffitt said, by saying schools aren’t meeting the needs of young people, specifically poor and/or students of color.
They are also advocating for less funding in areas that would help these students, such as public housing, public transportation and public assistance, Proffitt said.
The push has created a national and local “myth” that public schools are failing, he said. In Durham, the myth has led to white families abandoning the system for charter and other schools.
While challenges in schools are real, he said, so are successes.
“The truth behind the myth of Durham Public Schools is that most of the people that tell the stories have never stepped foot in them,” Proffitt said. “They rely on media, anecdotes, and they believe a story that damns our public schools.”
In response, the association sought to debunk the ideas that Durham Public Schools wereDurham teachers union fights privatization efforts | News & Observer: