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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

PSAT for 8-21-12: Go local or go Hollywood Parents United for Responsible Education

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PSAT for 8-21-12: Go local or go Hollywood

Things are really heating up in the fight over the parent trigger propaganda movie, “Won’t Back Down.”
Corporate reformers concerned that their secret agenda behind the big Hollywood movie is being exposed have now launched an attack on Parents Across America. Folks, the best response to this is to continue to tell parents the truth about the movie and the parent trigger. Please continue to share PAA’s Rita Solnet’s review of the movie and fact sheets by PAA’s Caroline Grannan and Leonie Haimson.
Also upcoming events courtesy of Raise Your Hand news:
Tuesday 8/21- Lincoln Square Meeting
Location change for meeting hosted by CTU and Parents 4 Teachers:
Old Town School of Music
4545 N. Lincoln Avenue
5:30 socializing, and meet and greet
6:30 forum, q & a, & discussion break out groups
Tuesday 8/21 –Rogers Park Meeting 6:30pm
Senn High School – 5900 N. Glenwood
48th Ward Education Information Meeting hosted by Alderman Harry Osterman.
Reps from both CPS and CTU will be at this meeting to answer questions, updates on 48th Ward Education Initiatives.
Board Meeting tomorrow – Wednesday 8/22
CPS is scheduled to vote on the budget tomorrow. We have a few questions – such as why is CPS increasing funding to charters by $76 million in a year when they are draining the reserve funds? Why are they increasing the Portfolio Office by over $5 million? Our neighborhood schools need attention and many of them have received cuts this year.
CPS is increasing funding to some charter operators who have schools performing below CPS average. As one example, UNO is receiving $10,132,678 in new funding this year. Issues around funding for charters vs. traditional schools are complex. We question why this big of an increase this year, when we are cash-strapped and moving on to an even bigger deficit next year, and what is the criteria CPS is using to make decisions around charter expansion?
Parents and community members should have a voice in what happens to our schools and we will be paying close attention and reporting on the defunding of neighborhood schools that we see that reside within blocks of charters that are receiving huge increases in funding.
Come out and support RYH at a fun event 8/28 in Rogers Park
Political guru Don Washington is hosting a tutorial on education for RYH on Tuesday, 8/28. This is an interactive, informational, agitational fun event on the state of public education in Chicago. Come out to the Heartland Café on 8/28 at 7pm to support RYH and join with other parents, teachers and citizens who care about public education. The Mayoral Tutorial believes democracy is a contact sport and participatory activity. We’ll play games, learn things, taunt the powerful and hear from a surprise guest.  Check out the website at Mayoraltutorial.com.
Tickets are $25. Please email us and let us know if you can attend: info@ilraiseyourhand.org
Event details:
Heartland Café – 7000 N. Glenwood
Tuesday, 8/28 – 7pm