The Panel for Educational Policy (PEP aka NYC's School board) is holding a Special Calendar Meeting for a "Proposed Resolution Opposing the Confirmation of Nominee Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education of the United States."
NYC is the country's largest school district and there will be a lot of attention to this rally.
We have heard from members of both the Mayor's office and the Chancellor's office that national media will be in attendance to cover this historic vote as NYC sends a clear message to the nation regarding the future of our public schools.
We need to show up in great numbers to make the message heard that DeVos' agenda for public education is not shared by NYC public school parents.
We need public school parents to show up in YUGE numbers!!
While this rally and the noisy opposition to DeVos definitely "sends a clear message to the nation regarding the future of our public schools," I would argue that although the current message is CLEARLY that DeVos is a poor choice, the nation still lacks any cohesive center in demanding that the person leading the department of education needs to be a public school graduate who believes whole-hardheartedly in public education.
ReplyDeleteWas just listening to npr and heard the good news. Cuomo wants to put abortion rights in the NYS Constitution. Well there's your battle cry by the Governor as the reason we MUST open the NYS Constitution. Hello real agenda RIGHT TO WORK. So glad the UFT has been speaking so highly of Cuomo lately. Lot of good thats doing us
ReplyDeleteAnytime the Constitution is opened, and picked over by political appointees, you never know what will happen. Pensions we worked for over many years, can disappear. There's a reason the Constitutional Convention is called the "Con Con".
ReplyDeleteThis Albany Times Union reporter doubts that there will be a Constitutional Convention, but we should still stay aware. http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-opinion/article/Casey-Seiler-Cuomo-boots-the-reboot-10874253.php
ReplyDeleteI have to say I don't know much about how the process works. I just heard that story and the words that were said and pieced it together. If Cuomo can do what he said and it doesn't involve opening our constitution great.
ReplyDeleteOne can assume all of Trump's nominations will get through the confirmation process. That would include, of course, DeVos.
ReplyDeleteUnion activism against DeVos actually enhances her chances for nomination. The electorate (beyond the lib coastal cities) aren't great fans of public sector unions. In the same way Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, and other Democratic fringe group protests actually swell the Republican ranks.
Any chance Dems learn from this and distance themselves from the oddball groups?
The tea party and many of the Trump people were once considered fringe groups. The fact is that Clinton and Obama were new democrats -- tacking to the middle even though I know you find it hard to believe. Bernie was viewed as fringe. Occupy changed the debate in the country -- and so has BLM -- the Dems are stuck in the middle. There needs to be a left counter to the right not some Dem party looking to compromise. When conditions change enough for the former Dem working class with Republicans in power they may end up going the other way.
DeleteEven Peggy Noonan, a Republican, sees the strength of the opposition-
ReplyDelete"The handling of the order allowed the organized left to show its might, igniting big demonstrations throughout major cities. And not only downtown — they had to make it out to the airport to give the media the pictures, and they did. In Washington I witnessed a demonstration of many thousands of people carrying individualized, hand-lettered signs.
If all this was spontaneous, the left is strong indeed. If it was a matter of superior organization, that’s impressive too.
You should never let your enemy know its own strength. They discovered it in the Women’s March, know it more deeply now, and demonstrated it to Democrats on the Hill. It was after the demonstrations that Democratic senators started boycotting the confirmation hearings. They now have their own tea party to push them around."
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/47268
It may not happen right away, but we will succeed.