Milwaukee Teachers’ Union Leadership Proposes Bold Move for Kids with “MPS Children’s Week” Campaign

My Pledge:

Larry Miller

Scott Walker is like the feudal magistrate who destroys the dam, floods the valley and then criticizes the villagers for not stockpiling enough sandbags.

Dealing with the aftermath of Walker’s horrific cuts has been devastating to our public schools and to the community. And teachers have been at the forefront of the struggle to stand up and reclaim our state.

But right now we have to do something to stop the flooding. Cuts in staffing have meant growing classroom sizes in MPS – and that’s putting our students’ success in jeopardy. MPS Children’s Campaign, as proposed by the MTEA leadership, offers support to our classrooms, changes the Milwaukee education dialog, and calls upon the community to do its part to save our children’s future and counter the havoc of Walker’s racist policies.

After teaching in MPS for nearly two decades, I ran for the school board with the desire to serve Milwaukee’s communities. Fundamental to this task is supporting classroom teachers and the profession they represent. Like the teachers’ union, I want to avert a crisis and change education politics in this city.

I, as a School Board member, pledge to:

-Ensure that every penny of the money raised will not be interfered with at any level and will go directly to the classrooms.
-Work tirelessly to convince the Milwaukee community to give financial support to the MPS Children’s  Campaign; and
-Donate at least one week of my pay and ask others to do the same.

Milwaukee Parents Support Milwaukee Teachers

From: I Love My Public Schools

For Immediate Release – Friday, March 15

Contact: Angela McManaman, 414‐793‐4815

MILWAUKEE – Parents in Milwaukee Public Schools today are praising a bold initiative undertaken by the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA) to invest more resources in district classrooms and help Milwaukee’s children. “Good things are happening in MPS,” adds Tanya Ingvolstad‐Otero, an MPS alumna and mother of four bilingual MPS students. “MPS has excellent teachers who succeed against all odds. I stand with the teachers today just as they stand every day with my children and all of Milwaukee’s children.”

“I know how hard our teachers work every day to meet the needs of our children,” says Jasmine Alinder, an MPS parent who co‐founded I Love My Public School, a parent‐led advocacy group for public education. “They deserve nothing but respect and praise. That they would even consider making a contribution to help offset the devastating cuts from the Walker administration shows who is truly on the side of Milwaukee’s children. The Governor has turned his back on our children in Milwaukee, but Milwaukee’s teachers are stepping up to the plate.”

Other parents in Milwaukee Public Schools amplified their support of MTEA leadership, MPS Superintendent Greg Thornton, and the district’s Board of Directors after the coalition negotiated with the Legislature for an immediate and structured reopening of MTEA contracts – a move that could keep more dollars and teachers in MPS’ budget‐battered classrooms. This request comes the same year that Wisconsin public schools deal with the largest cut to public education in state history and one of the largest education cuts in the nation.

“We are proud of the hard work our teachers and administrators do in our kids’ MPS classrooms,” say Michael Bannister and Laura Matthew, parents of two MPS students. “They continue t o d o the best they can despite how much harder their jobs have become over the past year. We are grateful that they have initiated difficult conversations about what is right for everyone, and most especially for students. We applaud their, the school board’s, and the district administration’s latest efforts to keep as much money in the classrooms as possible next year.”

Parents are asking politicians, labor leaders, and others to respect the integrity of the MTEA negotiation process as the wider MTEA membership considers more concessions.

“The best way to solve our education and budget problems is by working together,” says Angela McManaman, a public worker and MPS parent of three. “By re‐opening MTEA contracts, the Legislature admits that collective bargaining works for our kids and shows us a path forward. By working together, MPS leadership and the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association are setting a powerful example.”

“We need to fix the education funding system and re‐invest in our children,” says Alinder. “The rest of us in Milwaukee, parents, community leaders, and the business owners, need to follow MTEA’s lead and find ways to support our schools now. It’s time to recognize that a cooperative posture is necessary to fix our state’s school funding formula, and our state’s politics. In our view, that includes fully restoring collective bargaining for all public workers.”

MTEA membership will have 30 days to consider and approve self‐imposed reductions in pay or fringe benefits without violating other terms of their contract.

Student Bill of Rights From Youth Empowered in the Struggle

Following is a Student Bill of Rights written by student members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), a youth organization associated with Voces de la Frontera. Over one thousand students, mostly in Milwaukee and Racine, have reviewed the document and given input to its content. YES has also received input from a number of youth organizations and education activists.

I will be introducing the document for discussion to the MPS school board at the March 8th (6:30 PM) Innovative School Reform Committee meeting and public hearing. Please try to attend and support YES.

Student Bill of Rights
Written by the students of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES)

Student Power and Voice
I. Students have the right to organize and have a voice in their school.
II. Student representatives should be included in any decision-making that significantly affects
the student body.
III. Students have the right to full disclosure by administration, as do parents, teachers, staff, and
the community.
IV. Students have the right to organize across schools. The students of a district have the right to
establish an inter-school organization in which the issues of different schools are shared and
the entire student community can provide support to ensure that no school is isolated.
V. Students and parents/guardians are to be informed of the students’ rights. Students shall
present the Student Bill of Rights peer-to-peer annually and have access to a copy.
VI. Students have a right to a school environment where all teachers and staff have the right to
collectively bargain.
VII. Students have the right to a desegregated public education system that is not undermined by
privatization.

School and Classroom Environment
I. Students have the right to a reasonable class size where the teacher can give adequate attention
to each and every student.
II. Students have the right to a focused and peaceful environment through mutual respect between
teachers and students. This should translate into equal power dynamics in the classroom and
expectations applied equally to both students and adults.
III. Every student has the right to a quality education that meets his or her needs. Students have the
right to additional support such as tutoring and support for students with disabilities.
IV. Students have the right to hands-on and cultural activities to enhance their learning experience,
including access to technology, arts, and music. Student input should be listened to in regards
to teaching style and classroom activities in order to craft a classroom environment in which
students learn best.
V. Schools should hold events that foster a positive relationship between the school, parents, and
the community. Schools should also foster inter-generational relationships in order to establish
a stronger school community.
VI. Students have the right to an affordable, nutritious, and dignified lunch that is properly cooked,
as well as a lunch period that allows sufficient time to eat.
VII. If a student’s family financial situation prohibits them from paying school fees, they should
have the right to financial assistance.
VIII. All students deserve access to good transportation to and from school.
IX. All students deserve a school facility that is a safe and adequate space for learning.

Bilingual Education
I. Students have the right to learn two languages, including their home language.
II. Students who are in the process of learning English deserve access to their school’s curriculum
with support in their native language.
III. Students who are proficient in English should still be given the opportunity to continue to
develop their native language fluency and literacy skills.
IV. Bilingual students deserve access to teachers who are certified in bilingual education by the
Department of Public Instruction, bilingual curricular resources and materials, and bilingual
guidance counseling.

Freedom from Discrimination
I. Students have a right to freedom from all forms of discrimination. This includes but is not
limited to discrimination based on ethnicity, class, sex, disability, pregnancy, religion, native
language, sexual orientation, gender expression, housing status, self-expression/personal style,
or immigration status.
II. Students have the right to teachers, staff, and administrators who understand the community in
which they are working and have taken anti-racist/anti-bias training.
III. Every student has the right to access high-level curriculum and advanced classes, and to be
encouraged to take these classes.
IV. Students have the right to a culturally diverse, anti-racist curriculum that values ethnic studies
and reflects the student body and the diversity of the United States.
V. Students have the right to form any student organization or group free from discrimination, as
long as the group does not advocate discrimination or harm toward others.
VI. Schools are required to equally enforce policies with all students (dress code, disciplinary
actions, etc.), without discrimination or favoritism. Schools also must evaluate their policies to
be sure they are not inherently discriminatory.
VII. Schools must document the demographics of students who are reprimanded by police in
school, suspended, or expelled, in order to track and protect against racial profiling.
VIII. Students have the right to appeal if they feel they have been discriminated against.

Security and Discipline
I. Every student has the right to a school environment in which they feel safe.
II. Schools should not reflect prison-like conditions or perpetuate this mentality towards the
student body.
III. Schools should attempt to resolve safety issues by investing in the culture of the school,
through anti-bullying initiatives and other programs, rather than relying only on enforcement
strategies.
IV. Students have the right to be informed of security’s reasonable cause before being singled out
for searching or questioning.
V. Any disciplinary action should seek to address the root of the problem the student is
experiencing, instead of just removing them from the learning environment.
VI. Schools should not rely upon the police to resolve issues that can be handled by mediation by
students, administration, or faculty members through a restorative justice model.
VII. Police and security officers cannot be aggressive, violent, or disrespectful toward students.
VIII. Students have the right to a clear and simple complaint process that produces real results if
they feel they have been unfairly searched or punished, or disrespected by an officer.

Life After School
I. All students have the right to qualified staff who will assist them through their college
application process and encourage them to attain a post-secondary education.
II. Students have the right to access college information such as scholarships, colleges to choose
from, financial aid opportunities for low-income or undocumented families, and the positive
impact of college education.
III. Students have the right to organized counseling programs that will guide and advise them
throughout their high school years. Students have the right to confidentiality in these programs
with the exception of direct and imminent harm to the student or another person.
IV. Students have the right to beneficial activities aimed at improving their self-esteem, physical
well-being, and overall person. This includes the right to health information including full
information about sexual health.
V. Students have the right to be presented with unbiased truths that aid the students in the
transition from school to higher education or the work force. Students who have plans to enter
the work force should be provided with worker rights orientation in the same way that collegebound
students receive support to continue their education.
VI. Students have the right to know what kind of activities and courses favor them in the college
admission process, and to have access to the courses and programs that colleges look for.
VII. Undocumented students should have the right to access in-state tuition rates at the colleges and
universities in their state of residence.

Visit to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School

By Larry Miller

There are many educators in Milwaukee who wake up every morning and ask themselves, “how can I best serve my students today?”

Recently I had a chance to observe some of these teachers at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. Unannounced, I accompanied the principal into seven classrooms.

Students were engaged, teachers were teaching and the rooms were filled with encouragement. I saw many students enthusiastic and confident in their interaction with their teacher and other students.

One of the things that became very clear to me in visiting these classrooms was that the ratio of students to teacher was reasonable and manageable. But an increase in class size, I fear, would change what I saw.

Throughout the visit the principal talked about the success they were having in reading and math that has been evident on their district internal assessments.

Accompanying us was a college student who has recently organized a cadre of 50 Marquette college students to do after school tutoring 4 nights a week at King. While many critics of MPS stand on the sideline or even work to destroy public education, here is someone who believes in educating all students, with the goal of giving each of them the chance to fulfill their potential.

I say hats off to teachers that are putting their students first, even though you may not feel appreciated. I say hats off to community members, like the student from Marquette, who believes in kids and asks everyone else to do the same.

Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savings

How the Food Industry Eats Your Kid’s Lunch

Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times

By LUCY KOMISAR  Published: December 3, 2011 NYTimes

An increasingly cozy alliance between companies that manufacture processed foods and companies that serve the meals is making students — a captive market — fat and sick while pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. At a time of fiscal austerity, these companies are seducing school administrators with promises to cut costs through privatization. Parents who want healthier meals, meanwhile, are outgunned.

Each day, 32 million children in the United States get lunch at schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program, which uses agricultural surplus to feed children. About 21 million of these students eat free or reduced-price meals, a number that has surged since the recession. The program, which also provides breakfast, costs $13.3 billion a year.

Sadly, it is being mismanaged and exploited. About a quarter of the school nutrition program has been privatized, much of it outsourced to food service management giants like Aramark, based in Philadelphia; Sodexo, based in France; and the Chartwells division of the Compass Group, based in Britain. They work in tandem with food manufacturers like the chicken producers Tyson and Pilgrim’s, all of which profit when good food is turned to bad.

Here’s one way it works. The Agriculture Department pays about $1 billion a year for commodities like fresh apples and sweet potatoes, chickens and turkeys. Schools get the food free; some cook it on site, but more and more pay processors to turn these healthy ingredients into fried chicken nuggets, fruit pastries, pizza and the like. Some $445 million worth of commodities are sent for processing each year, a nearly 50 percent increase since 2006.

The Agriculture Department doesn’t track spending to process the food, but school authorities do. The Michigan Department of Education, for example, gets free raw chicken worth $11.40 a case and sends it for processing into nuggets at $33.45 a case. The schools in San Bernardino, Calif., spend $14.75 to make French fries out of $5.95 worth of potatoes.

The money is ill spent. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has warned that sending food to be processed often means lower nutritional value and noted that “many schools continue to exceed the standards for fat, saturated fat and sodium.” A 2008 study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that by the time many healthier commodities reach students, “they have about the same nutritional value as junk foods.”

Monica Zimmer, a Sodexo spokeswoman, said that “much has changed” since those studies, pointing to the company’s support for “nutrition education to encourage young students to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

Roland Zullo, a researcher at the University of Michigan, found in 2008 that Michigan schools that hired private food-service management firms spent less on labor and food but more on fees and supplies, yielding “no substantive economic savings.” Alarmingly, he even found that privatization was associated with lower test scores, hypothesizing that the high-fat and high-sugar foods served by the companies might be the cause. In a later study, in 2010, Dr. Zullo found that Chartwells was able to trim costs by cutting benefits for workers in Ann Arbor schools, but that the schools didn’t end up realizing any savings.

Why is this allowed to happen? Part of it is that school authorities don’t want the trouble of overseeing real kitchens. Part of it is that the management companies are saving money by not having to pay skilled kitchen workers.

In addition, the management companies have a cozy relationship with food processers, which routinely pay the companies rebates (typically around 14 percent) in return for contracts. The rebates have generally been kept secret from schools, which are charged the full price.

Last year, Andrew M. Cuomo, then the New York State attorney general, won a $20 million settlement over Sodexo’s pocketing of such rebates. Other states are following New York and looking into the rebates; the Agriculture Department began its own inquiry in August.

With the crackdown on these rebates, food service companies have turned to another accounting trick. I found evidence that the rebate abuses are continuing, now under the name of “prompt payment discounts,” under an Agriculture Department loophole. These discounts, for payments that are often not prompt at all, are really rebates under another name. New York State requires rebates to be returned to schools, but the Sodexo settlement shows how unevenly the ban has been enforced.

The food service companies I spoke with denied any impropriety. “Our culinary philosophy, as a company, is to promote scratch cooking where possible and encourage variety and nutritionally balanced meals,” said Ayde Lyons, a Chartwells spokeswoman. “We use minimally processed foods whenever possible.”

There are economic and nutritional consequences to privatization. School kitchen workers are generally unionized, with benefits; they are also typically local residents who have children in public schools and care about their well-being. Laid-off school workers become an economic drain instead of a positive force. And the rebate deals with national food manufacturers cut out local farmers and small producers like bakers, who could offer fresh, healthy food and help the local economy.

Children pay the price. Dr. Zullo found that privately managed school cafeterias offered meals that were higher in sugar and fats and made unhealthy snack items — soda, cookies, potato chips — more readily available. The companies were also less likely to use reduced-sugar recipes. Linda Hugle, a retired school principal in Three Rivers, Ore., told me that when her district switched to Sodexo, “the savings were paltry.” She added, “You pay a little less and your kids get strawberry milk, frozen French fries and artificial shortening.”

Advocates who fight for better food face an uphill battle. Dorothy Brayley, executive director of Kids First, a nutrition advocacy group in Pawtucket, R.I., told me she encountered resistance in trying to persuade Sodexo to buy from local farmers. (Sodexo says it does buy some local produce and has opened salad bars in many schools.) Donna D. Walsh, a former school board president in Westchester County, N.Y., told me she worked with a supportive superintendent to get Aramark to stop deep-frying food and to open a salad bar. But after a new superintendent came in, she said, the company went back to profit-driven menus of pizza and bagels.

The federal government could intervene. The Agriculture Department proposed new rules this year that would set maximum calories for school meals; require more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; and limit trans fats.

Not surprisingly, the most committed foes of the rules are the same corporations that make money supplying bad food. Aramark, Sodexo and Chartwells, as well as food processing companies like ConAgra, wrote letters arguing, among other things, that children may not want to eat healthier food.

Any increase in fruit and vegetables might result in “plate waste,” wrote Sodexo. A protein requirement at breakfast, Aramark said, would hamper efforts to offer “popular breakfast items.” Their lobbying persuaded members of Congress to block a once-a-week limit on starchy vegetables and to continue to allow a few tablespoons of tomato sauce on pizza to count as a vegetable serving. Thanks to that cave-in, children will continue to get their vegetables in the form of potatoes for breakfast and pizza for lunch.

One-third of children from the ages of 6 to 19 are overweight or obese. These children could see their life expectancies shortened because of their vulnerability to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Unfortunately, profit, not health, is the priority of the food service management companies, food processors and even elected officials. Until more parents demand reform of the school lunch system, children will continue to suffer.

Lucy Komisar is an investigative reporter and author, who received support from the Investigative Fund, a project of the Nation Institute, for the reporting of this essay.

SAGE Works in MPS

Congratulate kids, don’t belittle them

By Angela McManaman Dec. 3, 2011 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I was insulted by the tone and startled by the inaccuracies in the Nov. 20 Crossroads op-ed on Wisconsin’s SAGE class-size reduction program.

Christian Schneider of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute called the program a “horror” for Wisconsin, asserting the only value of small class sizes is that teachers can better supervise kids who eat glue.

My husband and I chose Milwaukee Public Schools’ Fratney Street School for our three children because it offers smaller class sizes and an opportunity to learn Spanish. My younger son does not eat glue. In fact, he does not eat much food at all, due to a medical condition.

Fratney’s lower teacher-to-student ratio and school nurse mean that he receives some individual attention during snack and lunch time. When he eats very well, or not at all, I may receive a phone call from the school. I cannot imagine him receiving this kind of attention in the 35-student classrooms that Schneider favors.

When he states that Japan and South Korea are doing great with 35-kid classrooms, I’d ask him to compare their unemployment rates and cultural factors to Milwaukee: a city with one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the United States. And when Schneider asserts that without the SAGE program, schools would see class sizes rise from 15 to 17 students, he is simply wrong.

Remaining SAGE programs in MPS have around 18 students in each class. Talk to the teachers at Milwaukee Spanish Immersion or Hartford Avenue schools, which lost SAGE this year. I can guarantee you they don’t average 17 kids per class without SAGE.

The academic benefits of smaller class sizes are evident. MPS has several SAGE-supported schools that achieved remarkable gains in test scores, including Rogers Street Academy and Browning School, which achieved double-digit increases in their math and reading scores. The hardworking scholars at 81st Street School realized a double-digit jump in reading scores. And reading scores also increased significantly at Fratney.

Schneider would have more credibility if he got his facts right and discussed schools without resorting to calling children in low-income schools glue-eaters or using bad data and bogus comparisons.

We all agree that all schools need to do better, including MPS, voucher and charter schools. But when reforms such as SAGE are working, and where kids and teachers are succeeding, let’s all congratulate and support them.

Angela McManaman lives in Milwaukee.

Fanatic Right Wing Blogger Attacks Teacher for Engaging Students in Real Life Civic Action

Right wing fringe blogger Kyle Olsen, who has admitted to making up stories to move his right-wing agenda, now has criticized a Milwaukee teacher for having students discuss and write about civic duty at a school where parents and staff alike have been trying to come up with answers to the cuts devastating Milwaukee Public Schools.

Even before Scott Walker began his slash and burn policies toward Milwaukee Public Schools this elementary school in Milwaukee’s Riverwest community faced $150,000 in cuts from the previous year. This led to school-wide discussion that students inquired about both at home and in school. One of the parents’ response was to help start a new organization to help fight for public education called I Love My Public Schools. Since Walker made his budget moves this organization has fought hard against the Republican moves to destroy public education.

It is the duty of teachers to bring these issues to students in an age appropriate manner to think critically and to engage them in problem solving and civic action. Writing letters to the school board for answers to the problems they see is a natural way for students to engage in community discussion. But Kyle Olson does not want this. If you look at the vitriol on Olson’s blog, teachers are the embodiment of all evil while worshipping at the altar of Scott Walker and the Republicans. For him, students should be “seen and not heard” and especially not heard if they want their teachers back.

I say to teacher and students, keep fighting to get your teachers back!

Invitation to March on June 4th for our Kids, for Public Education and for MPS

Dear Friends:

On Saturday June 4^th the MPS community and friends will be assembling at MacDowell Montessori (17^th and Highland) at 11 AM for a march in defense of the civil rights of our children. The Grand Marshall of the march is Vel Phillips who will be accompanied by Peggy Rozga and other members of the historic NAACP Youth Commandos. We will then march across the 16^th Street Bridge to Forrest Home Elementary (15^th and Mitchell). At 1:15, in the Forrest Home playground, we will hold a rally for public education. The rally will end at 2:30.

We are inviting each MPS school to participate. This is an event that the district supports, although not an official sponsor. The sponsors are Voces de la Frontera, Micah, I Love My Public Schools, Council for Spanish Speaking, Wisconsin Citizen Action and Milwaukee City Council PTA/PTSA’s Inc.

The theme of the march is to show some of the great things that are at stake of being lost with the proposed budget. Students, families and schools are saying “don’t take this away from us.” We are asking for school contingents to include drum lines, marching bands, sports teams, a walking art show and anything else that illustrates the holistic approach MPS takes to educating our children.

To download a PDF of the poster for the June 4th Civil Rights march for kids go to:

Poster marchmilwaukee June 4

To download a PDF of the poster in Spanish go to:

Poster marchmilwaukee June 4 Spanish

 

To download a copy of the PTA leaflet go to:

PTA June 4

To download a copy of the PTA leaflet in Spanish go to:

PTA June 4 Spanish

Larry Miller MPS School Board Member

Joint Finance Continues The Assault On Wisconsin’s Kids

On Friday the Joint Finance Committee agreed to reduce funding cuts to public education by approximately 12 %. Alberta Darling (and company) is trying to give a new face to the massive slashing of public education funds. This will prove meaningless as Darling faces recall for her misconduct as a legislator.

Following is a letter from “I Love My Public Schools” in response to the Joint Finance Committee’s decision.

Dear Public School Supporter:

Do you have 20 minutes, and a computer? Please write a letter to the editor this weekend to address the Joint Finance Committee’s vote on Friday to defund public education statewide.

The JFC agreed, along party lines, to reduce funding to Wisconsin public schools by $1.6 billion over the biennium, instead of the $1.7 billion Scott Walker had proposed. They returned about $100 million to the state education budget, to be used over two years. When Robin Vos called the vote, he even claimed that the JFC had just “restored” public-education funding. But that $100 million is a mere fraction of the total cut and will make little if any difference in our children’s classrooms next year. Over the last few weeks, we’d hoped that math teacher leaders, school nurses and special funding for high-needs schools and at risk children might be spared the budget ax. Not so.

Furthermore, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/122732019.html) only tells half the story as it focuses solely on the state aid portion of the cut and not the law change that restricts the amount that districts can raise locally. Those two pieces taken together are referred to as the “revenue authority” and reductions to revenue authority equal about $1.6 billion. Expanding voucher and 2r charter schools also is not free and the JFC will be doing that next week.

The JFC had the money to temper the cuts to public education. They had the money to take on comprehensive funding reform and implement the DPI’s Fair Funding for Our Future plan. They’d like us to think that they didn’t but they did, it was sitting in their hands. They’re spending $200 million on a hedge fund plan that even Senator Grothman is questioning. On Friday they shifted an additional $160 million more to highways. That’s $360 million right there that could have gone to education, and you don’t have to search too hard to find the rest. Again, this is not a matter of can’t, it is a conscious choice to force Wisconsin’s 871,000 public school children to bear the brunt of our state’s financial burden.

Here’s how Republican legislator Alberta Darling described the cuts: “A win-win.” Here’s how Democratic legislator Tamara Grigsby described the cuts: “The GOP is throwing concrete over kids.” http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/122732019.html

To recap–The JFC says “Yes” to fund:

$200 million hedge fund

$160 million more to road-building projects (for a total of $360 million on highways)

$1.8 million for Racine charter schools

A $7 million voter ID bill

And “yes” to take an unprecedented $1.6 billion away from K-12 public education over the biennium, despite the fact that the Legislative Fiscal Bureau projects $636 million in newly found revenue for next year.

Please write a letter to the editor this weekend. In 150-200 words, tell the people of Wisconsin what you think our kids deserve. Tell them what will happen to your child’s school when these cuts are realized. The JFC waited until the last possible moment of the holiday weekend to finalize these school-killing cuts. Don’t let the media forget about this by the time Tuesday rolls around. Let’s flood the editor’s box at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Wisconsin State Journal, or any newspaper of your choosing. We must stand up at every opportunity and resist the de-funding, privatization and segregation of public education.

Here’s a link to MJS “Letter to the Editor” details: http://www.jsonline.com/news/30627794.html

And one for the State Journal: http://host.madison.com/wsj/opinion/mailbag/

And one for the Green Bay Press Gazette: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/forms/editor.shtml

Racine Journal Times, http://journaltimes.com/app/lettertotheeditor/

And a link to other Wisconsin newspapers all across the state: http://www.usnpl.com/winews.php

Write away, friends.

Sincerely,

ILMPS

Poster for June 4th March for Public Education and MPS

To download a PDF of the poster for the June 4th Civil Rights march for kids go to:

Poster marchmilwaukee June 4

To download a copy of the PTA leaflet go to:

PTA June 4

To download a copy of the PTA leaflet in Spanish go to:

PTA June 4 Spanish