Re: CMS teachers need advocates action!
Posted by Lillian Anderson on 3/31/09
If you have the people, co-workers, or whomever, why wait to
for the mail; take the time and go to the legislators; rent a
bus, rent cars, provide meals and/or wayside rest periods.
Using these periods to reinforce your purpose for your
venture - THE CHILDREN. The children is the most important
reason in the entire universe. Rep. Ruth Samuelson, Rep. Sue
Myrick, as all elected representatives, are ELECTED to fight
for and represent the people. If they can't work for the
people, then the people need to work for themselves. Select
someone from among you and go door to door campaigning for
what the people want and desparately need. Network with the
people, use the internet and telephones (text) the young
people, their little brothers and sisters are effected too.
They are voters. If the government cannot work for the
people, then the people need to work the government to
benefit themselves. Isn't that why we pay taxes? Remember
the Civil Rights marches; Women's Rights Movement; Freedom
Marches - you will get results!
Lillian
On 3/08/09, Ruelz wrote:
> Our superintendent Doctor Gorman, and school board are
> planning on eliminating more than a thousand jobs to meet
> budget requirements. This is with classrooms already
> stretched thin, and trimming the arts from middle/high
> school is simply criminal. I am only a parent, with a
> single voice, but I'm calling out to whomever will listen
> and can help.
>
> Losing more than half an elementary staff will be a major
> shock to the school system, and schools that have been
> traditionally high performance will no doubt drop
> drastically. Whether you're reading this for political,
> social, or humanitarian reasons, this action proposed by
> Gorman and his "closed door meeting" on Tuesday will affect
> EVERYONE in Charlotte Mecklenburg.
>
> I've contacted him myself, as have hundreds of CMS employees
> with budget saving ideas. Every idea has been rebuffed,
> saying it "doesn't save enough", as though the school board
> completely forgot how to add numbers together for a total
> savings. The job cuts are literally the ONLY thing Gorman
> and the board have advocated since the economic crisis
> began. If you look at our history the last three months,
> little to nothing has been done to creatively address these
> issues without harming the people who have poured their
> lives into the school.
>
> While enforced furlough is against state law, I believe that
> teachers would VOLUNTARILY take a day unpaid if it meant
> saving the jobs of their colleagues. One day alone would
> save more than 4 million!
>
> Gorman refuses to negotiate with the state, taking the
> budget cuts without putting up any kind of fight. For
example:
> More flexibility with the school year
> Longer school day hours
> Year round school
> 4 day weeks every other week
> ...and the aforementioned voluntary furlough.
>
> These are concessions the state could make, since they're
> demanding an almost 10% budget cut.
>
> I know that legally there's not much teachers can do. But
> please, help publicize the atrocities that are about to be
> committed. If the public knew that they were going to lose
> hundreds of teachers from schools, they would join a voice
> to put pressure on the board to consider these other
> alternatives! Forward this message to state rep Ruth
> Samuelson. Ruth.Samuelson@ncleg.net
> peter.gorman@cms.k12.nc.us
> Rep. Sue Myrick: myrick@mail.house.gov
>
> I appreciate your time in at least reading this, if nothing
> else. They need all the support they can get from fellow
> professionals.
>
> --Ruelz