This Week: Lots Going On!

The 99% Spring: April 9-15th

Bob King--president of the UAW--has a really nice opinion piece in the Detroit News: You Only Get What You Are Willing to Accept.  He is writing about the importance of funding and supporting education. He starts out with this:

We must not be willing to accept relentless and unconscionable cuts in funding for K-12 education. For our children, these budget cuts have resulted in crumbling schools, skyrocketing class sizes and teachers being denied the support they need to do their best.

I've been thinking lately about why it is that in Wisconsin, when the Governor moved against unions and teachers, the teachers were a key part of the resistance; and here, I don't see that happening as much. But maybe that is about to change.

Bob King invites us all "to train ourselves in non-violent action and join together in the work of reclaiming our country."

The 99spring.com web site says,

We will organize trainings to:

1. Tell the story of our economy: how we got here, who’s responsible, what a different future could look like, and what we can do about it
2. Learn the history of non-violent direct action, and
3. Get into action on our own campaigns to win change.

 Get more details about April 9-15 at 99spring.com

Interesting Movie This Week

August to June: Bringing Life to School

Ann Arbor Open Auditorium
6:45 p.m., Thursday, April 12

AUGUST TO JUNE is an 88 minute documentary celebrating values we are on the brink of losing in the single-minded pursuit of higher test scores!

Come inside a public school happily and purposefully going against current trends and join 26 8-10 year olds, their teacher, and their parents for a year bursting with opportunities for curiosity, creativity and compassion. 

The teacher who is part of the film will be at this screening!

See the trailer here. 

Also, the Ann Arbor Open Conference is this coming weekend, April 13-14. 

The theme: Occupy Open Classroom. Find out more here.

 

Teacher Retirement being discussed by the legislature.

What is most interesting about this is that it is happening during a holiday session break. If they wanted this to be a public process, they would wait until they were in session. . . 

The Retirement Appropriations Sub-Committee is holding a hearing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday April 11 in the Boji Tower, 124 West Allegan St. in Lansing on Senate Bill 1040 that will reform the school employee retirement system (MSPERS). It’s unusual that a committee hearing is scheduled during a holiday session break, but this is apparently on the fast track.