A Win for Public Education

Democracy Forward. We just secured a HUGE win for public schools, educators, and universities, friend:

A federal court has rejected the Trump-Vance administration’s assault on public education as unconstitutional.

The White House had sought to rewrite civil rights law and require school districts throughout the nation to censor lessons and abandon student support programs – but last week, a judge permanently barred those orders from going into effect.

As kids are beginning to head back to school, this is a huge victory for the future of their guaranteed public education – but there’s plenty more to fight for: Will you invest in the work ahead by donating $5 or more right now?

The orders – issued in February and April by the Department of Education – threatened that federal funding would be withheld from education institutions that teach students critical history, sociology, and other lessons that may reference race, provide support to students in the form of diversity, equity, or inclusion programming, or attempt to foster inclusive school environments for students of all backgrounds, among other efforts.

This decision in our case proves what we've long known: The administration's attempt to weaponize federal funding and require compliance with their flawed interpretation of civil rights laws is unlawful.

Threatening teachers and sowing chaos in schools throughout America is part of the administration’s war on education. And while the fight to protect public education is far from over, this ruling is an important victory.

We won’t stop fighting to defend our democracy from attacks just like this one: You can support that work by donating $5 or more right now.

 

Injunction Stalls Trump / MAGA Assault on Education Department

 

Preliminary Injunction Issued in Democracy Forward’s Legal Challenge 

Massachusetts – The coalition of educators, school districts, and unions that challenged Secretary of Education McMahon’s massive reduction-in-force has won a preliminary injunction that will halt the administration’s unlawful effort to dismantle the Department of Education. The Secretary’s Mass Termination Order would have gutted the Department of Education and decimated crucial services the Department provides to every American. The group, which includes the Somerville Public School Committee, Easthampton School District, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) – Massachusetts, AFT, AFSCME Council 93, American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is represented by Democracy Forward inSomerville Public Schools v. Trump.

As the district court wrote, “A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all. This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself.”

“Today’s order means that the Trump administration’s disastrous mass firings of career civil servants are blocked while this wildly disruptive and unlawful agency action is litigated,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “No one’s lives are being made better by this administration’s attempted dismantling of the Department of Education. Instead of taking a wrecking ball to our nation’s best values and our chance at a better future, this administration should be focused on how to improve education and opportunities for all.”

The dismantling of the Department has begun via mass layoffs of half of the entire Department. Prior to January 20, 2025, the Department employed 4,133 employees. If the Trump administration’s actions were allowed to proceed, just 2,183 would remain. From distributing funds to help schools work with students with disabilities, to providing support and assistance to parents and families, protecting students’ civil rights, and making sure higher education is affordable for students, civil servants at the Department of Education are essential to the success of students. Mass firings of these hardworking people will harm students and schools.  

“We are deeply encouraged by the court’s decision today to grant the preliminary injunction,   which will temporarily prevent the Trump administration from proceeding with its harmful efforts to dismantle the Department of Education,” said Ilana Krepchin, Chair of the Somerville School Committee. “This victory is a win for our students, teachers, families here in Somerville and across the nation, and it affirms that our public education system is too important to be undermined by actions that threaten our students’ rights and opportunities. We thank our coalition partners for coming together to defend public education, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our students’ futures remain bright.”

“While today’s decision will provide some relief, the damage is already being felt in our schools – by our students, especially the most vulnerable, and our educators,” said American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang. “We have the utmost confidence in the virtue and facts of our case. The White House is not above the law and we will never stop fighting on behalf of our students and our public schools and the protections, services, and resources they need to thrive.”

“Today, the court rightly rejected one of the administration’s very first illegal, and consequential, acts: abolishing the federal role in education,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This decision is a first step to reverse this war on knowledge and the undermining of broad-based opportunity.  For America to build a brighter future, we must all take more responsibility, not less, for the success of our children. The vast majority of Americans and states like Massachusetts, with the highest NAEP scores, want to keep the education department because it ensures all kids, not just some, can get a shot at a better life.”

“This decision gives public schools important relief from losing critical support, which the Department of Education provides,” said AFSCME Council 93 Executive Director Mark Bernard. “Thousands of families across Massachusetts depend on the vital services and protections under the IDEA Act, which ensures educational support for our most vulnerable children. Massachusetts, the home of the first free public school in America, has long been a beacon of leadership in public education, championing accessible, quality education for all students. Thousands of dedicated AFSCME Council 93 members across the state work tirelessly to create safe, welcoming, and caring school communities where every child can thrive. This win is a strong affirmation of our commitment to protecting public education for all.”

In addition to the layoffs, a presidential Executive Order and other administration statements have described the intent to close the Department and move Department programs and offices, such as the Office for Special Education Programs and Federal Student Aid, to different federal agencies with no relevant expertise or necessary resources. 

Read the full complaint here and the preliminary injunction here. 

The legal team at Democracy Forward on this case includes Will Bardwell, Elena Goldstein, Rachel F. Homer, Victoria Nugent, Adnan Perwez, and Kali Schellenberg.

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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org. 

Trump Attacks Public Education

Today, the Trump administration gutted 50% of the Education Department workforce, firing dedicated public servants who help ensure our nation’s students have access to the programs and resources that keep class sizes down and expand learning opportunities for students.   Please join us for an urgent town hall to discuss the Trump administration’s action and its other efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. We will discuss the impact on students and neighborhood public schools, as well as actions educators, parents, and community members can take.

Town Hall to Protect Our Students and Families Featuring  Becky Pringle  President  National Education Association  Randi Weingarten  President  American Federation of Teachers   T️hursday, March 13  8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT  Zoom  Link upon registration  Take Action  ➤

This event will not be recorded.  All are welcome to join, but registration is limited. Please forward the invitation to anyone who you think would be interested in attending.  We hope to see you there,  The NEA EdAction Team

 

Protect Our Kids: The Fight for Public Education

Teachers, Educators, ACT Now- Linda McMahon

 

Hi Educator,  At her Senate confirmation hearing today, Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon: Pledged to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and Promised to support vouchers, stripping resources from 90% of U.S. students. Our students deserve an education secretary that will fight for them and the resources they need to learn, not gut public education to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.   Please email your senators and tell them to vote NO on Linda McMahon’s confirmation.

Email Your Senators  ➤

All of our students—each and every one of them—deserve the resources, support, and opportunities that will help them to live their wildest dreams.  Dismantling the Department of Education will hurt our students, especially those in lower-income families in rural, suburban, and urban areas, and those with disabilities.   It will increase class sizes, take away services for students with disabilities, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach, and slash student civil rights protections.    Linda McMahon has promised to gut public education and has spent years pushing policies that would defund and destroy public schools.  Message your senators right now and tell them to reject Linda McMahon as secretary of education.  Together, we will stand up to Linda McMahon and every other anti-public education politician who tries to harm our students, our educators, and our communities.   For our students,  Becky Pringle  President  National Education Association

Congressman Kevin Kiley Supports Massive Cuts to Schools. Do You?

 

Americans are still recovering from the ripple effects of the pandemic, particularly our most vulnerable populations. Students still have a vast array of social, emotional and academic needs as they head back to school, and workers are re-entering a changing workplace. On top of that, the need for accessible healthcare is only growing. Now is not the time for Congress to make massive cuts to the programs we depend on, but that’s exactly what many Republicans are trying to do. It’s up to us to spread the word to make sure our communities know what’s at stake.   Click here to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper; you can potentially reach thousands of people with this simple action that takes just minutes of your time. Here’s what you need to know about the House Republicans’ appropriations bill. It would:  Cut $63.8 billion from public K-12 education—a 28 percent decrease from 2023 funding and the lowest possible funding for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill since 2008.  Cut Title I funding by 80 percent, which could force a nationwide reduction of 220,000 teachers from classrooms serving low-income students. This would make our already unsustainable nationwide shortage of educators even worse.  Eliminate programs for English language learners (Title III), supports for educators (Title II-A), social and emotional learning grants, Promise Neighborhoods and Magnet Schools.  Cut funding for community schools—schools that serve not just students but their families.   Decimate funding for job training, cancer research, health initiatives for mental health, addressing the opioid crisis, eliminating HIV/AIDS, and more.   Continue the Republicans’ attacks on women’s health by cutting programs to support maternal health, eliminating programs that provide contraception and health services, and adding amendments to push their draconian agenda to ban abortion and make reproductive healthcare harder to access.  It’s up to us to spread the word and show lawmakers that the public refuses to allow our educational institutions to be attacked by political extremists. At the AFT, we’re working to ensure that every child has what they need to thrive. Our Real Solutions for Kids and Communities campaign is all about focusing on students’ loneliness, learning loss and literacy. But our communities must understand who is trying to cut vital education and community programs—because it takes resources to support educators and school staff.  We need your help to do that. Please write a letter to the editor and spread the word. In unity,  Randi Weingarten  AFT President

NEA. Republicans Make Massive Cuts to Education Funding

 Republican Congressperson Kevin Kiley ( Rocklin) votes with extremist to cut education budget, 

I—and our students across the country—urgently need your help to stop extreme cuts to public schools.  Just as parents and educators prepare to welcome students back to school, several Republicans in the House have proposed the deepest and most drastic cuts to education in history. Their bill passed a key subcommittee last week and could be on its way to the House floor soon. It’s unconscionable!   Please write your representatives in Congress right now and tell them you oppose horrific cuts to education.  Write Kevin Kiley. ( Rocklin)  The House bill would:  Decimate funding by 80% for Title I schools, which help our most vulnerable students;    Wipe out as many as 220,000 educator jobs;   Block President Biden from enacting meaningful reforms to federal student debt programs; and  Completely eliminate federal funding for class size reduction, educator salaries, and the English Language Learner (ELL) program.  If they’re passed, these proposed cuts will hurt our students, especially our most vulnerable, at a time when they need more attention and opportunities, not less.   And, they will deepen educator shortages and increase class sizes.  If enough people make their voices heard, we can stop these cuts, preserve federal funding for our public schools, and give students the attention and opportunity they deserve.

No matter where we’re from or what we believe, we all want all our students—every last one—to get the great education that they deserve.   Let’s make sure our politicians know that we will make our voices heard. We will demand what our students need. And we will succeed.  In solidarity,  Becky Pringle  President

Republicans Propose Massive Cuts to Education

 House Democrats warned that hundreds of thousands of teachers could lose their jobs if legislation advanced Friday by a Republican-controlled appropriations subcommittee becomes law.

The panel's draft Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill for the coming fiscal year calls for nearly $64 billion in total cuts, a proposal that Democrats said "decimates support for children in K-12 elementary schools and early childhood education" and "abandons college students and low-income workers trying to improve their lives through higher education or job training."

The nonprofit Committee for Education Funding noted that the Republican proposal would impact "virtually all" education programs, hitting teacher funding, student aid, and more. The bill, one of a dozen appropriations measures that Congress is looking to pass by the end of September, would bring Department of Education funding to below the 2006 level, according to the group.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Friday that "we are witnessing a widespread attack on public education that should shock every American family."

"If left to their own devices," DeLauro added, "Republicans would gleefully take public education to the graveyard."

The GOP legislation would slash Title I grants to local educational agencies that serve children from low-income families by nearly $15 billion compared to fiscal year 2023 levels. Appropriations Committee Democrats said the massive cut "could force a nationwide reduction of 220,000 teachers from classrooms serving low-income students" amid a teacher shortage.

The legislation would also completely eliminate funding for a number of Education Department programs, including Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Promise Neighborhoods, and Child Care Access Means Parents in School.

"Disgraceful to say the least," Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) tweeted in response to the GOP measure.

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams. 

 

https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-education-cuts

 

NYT. War on education and teachers' unions

 

The New York Times Magazine ran a cover story that platforms the conservative war on education

 

Instead of unpacking this manufactured attack on public schools, the Times found its villain in teachers and teachers unions

WRITTEN BY CHARIS HOARD & JASMINE GEONZON

PUBLISHED 05/09/23 1:17 PM EDT

The New York Times Magazine recently dedicated a multipage spread to the conservative war on public education, often legitimizing the political right’s advocacy for school choice vouchers and crusade against obscure concepts like "critical race theory.” 

In doing so, the magazine placed a target on the back of public education advocate and teachers union leader Randi Weingarten, gratuitously framing right-wing attacks on education as an organic result of the political climate, rather than as a manufactured onslaught spurred by conservative media.  

 

https://www.mediamatters.org/new-york-times/new-york-times-magazine-ran-cover-story-platforms-conservative-war-education

 

  

New poll: Voters prioritize school basics over culture wars

 

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The AFT released a poll on Jan. 13 and the message is clear. Voters are rejecting the culture war that has recently saturated education policy and instead want to see political leaders prioritize what kids need to succeed in school: strong fundamental academic skills and safe and welcoming school environments. 

Poll participants are not interested in an agenda prioritizing political fights over things like book bans and limitations on how to teach about race and gender—an agenda favored by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy—“and instead support real solutions, like getting our kids and teachers what they need to recover and thrive,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.

“Rather than reacting to MAGA-driven culture wars, voters overwhelmingly say they want lawmakers to get back to basics: to invest in public schools and get educators the resources they need to create safe and welcoming environments, boost academic skills and pave pathways to career, college and beyond,” Weingarten says.

“One key weakness of the culture war agenda is that voters and parents reject the idea that teachers today are pushing a ‘woke’ political agenda in the schools,” says Geoff Garin, president of Hart Research Associates, the organization that conducted the poll. “Most have high confidence in teachers. Voters see the ‘culture war’ as a distraction from what’s important and believe that politicians who are pushing these issues are doing so for their own political benefit.”

The poll was conducted from Dec. 12-17, 2022, among 1,502 registered voters nationwide, including 558 public school parents, and shows that support for and trust in public schools and teachers remains strong: 

• 93 percent of respondents said improving public education is an important priority for government officials.
• 66 percent said the government spends too little on education; 69 percent want to see more spending.
• By 29 points, voters said their schools teach appropriate content, with an even greater trust in teachers.
• Voters who prioritized education supported Democrats by 8 points.
• Top education priorities for voters include providing: 
  • students with strong fundamental academic skills;
  • opportunities for all children to succeed, including through career and technical education and greater mental health supports, as examples; and 
  • a safe and welcoming environment for kids to learn.

According to voters, the most serious problems facing schools include teacher shortages, inadequate funding, unsafe schools and pandemic learning loss. Voters and parents are looking forward to finding solutions: By 85 percent to 15 percent, they want Congress to focus on improving schools through greater support, rather than through McCarthy’s investigation agenda.

“COVID was terrible for everyone,” says Weingarten. “Educators and parents took on the challenges of teaching, learning and reconnecting and are now asking elected officials to focus on the building blocks of student success. Instead, legislators in 45 states have proposed hundreds of laws making that harder—laws seeking to ban books from school libraries; restrict what teachers can say about race, racism, LGBTQIA+ issues and American history; and limit the school activities in which transgender students can participate. Voters are saying that not only are these laws bad policy—they’re also bad politics.”

In state after state in the November midterms, voters elected pro-public education governors and school board candidates and rejected far-right attacks on teachers and vulnerable LGBTQIA+ students. 

Click here for a slide deck further describing the poll, here for a summary and here for sample questions from the summary.

Elect Eric Guerra.

 

 

Issues

Fighting for Everyone to Have a Successful Future

Eric is running for Assembly to deliver for our neighborhoods and all of California — so that everyone has a chance to succeed. He will work on issues that matter most to our community, including:

Ensuring that our children get a top-level education from pre-k through college and that college is affordable for all families

Tackling the housing crisis by addressing housing affordability, including investments in permanent housing, rental assistance, and first-time homebuyer loans

Helping our economy and workforce by supporting small and mid-size businesses — during and after the pandemic

 

For details: Go to

https://www.electericguerra.com/issues

 

 

Education Department"s Rip Off on Student Loans

The Education Department’s Rip-Off Schemes Radicalize Its Own Staff

Billionaire daughter-in-law to the Amway fortune Betsy DeVos probably contracts with the U.S. Mint to exclusively reissue $100,000 bank notes so she can light them on fire to light candles in her office. But she’ll have exactly one less, after a federal judge in San Francisco fined her exactly that amount, because the Education Department continues to collect on fraudulent loans issued to students of shady for-profit college network Corinthian Colleges.

Around 16,000 students have been affected by DeVos collecting on illegal loans, so that’s $6.25 each. Nevertheless, seeing any personal liability at all for an Education Department that not only failed to stop Corinthian from lying to students and saddling them with debt for worthless diplomas, but then kept trying to squeeze those students for unlawful payments, must offer at least a little solace. The Education Department resisted compensating Corinthian students at all, until they went on a debt strike. Under Arne Duncan, students ripped off by for-profit colleges were allowed to assert “defense to repayment” to get the loans canceled. 

That process moved at turtle-like speed, with only one-fifth of Corinthian students made whole by the time DeVos took over. She instituted hurdles to prevent loan forgiveness, which Judge Sallie Kim ruled unlawful. This ruling is stayed pending appeal, but DeVos’s department kept trying to collect loan payments anyway, despite the dispute. Three thousand borrowers made these payments. The Education Department even garnished wages on 1,800 students, which it had no right to acquire. 

SCUSD Budget - Lets not be fooled-Again

The Sacramento Bee reported on Friday that SCUSD budget had again been disapproved by the County Office of Education.  

“County schools officials last month disapproved Sacramento City Unified’s adopted budget because the district — although making “considerable progress towards stabilizing the budget” — fell short of meeting its minimum reserve requirement by $27 million in 2021-22.” 

While accurate, this reporting fails to deal with several of the key issues in the  school budget.  First notice that last year we were consistently told that SCUSD was on the brink of bankruptcy. Over 100 teachers were laid  off. Several moved to other districts.  At the end of the year, the district had almost no deficit.  It has begun the year with at least 60 teacher positions not filled- most are filled by substitutes.  This increases school failure.   See here. https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article235971252.html

If you read the report, the district will meet its budget requirements and reserve requirements for this year and next.  – But- oh crisis !  They will not have enough in reserve in the third year. 

The action by the County Office of Education and Superintendent Gordon is a political attack.  Gordon has been singing this song since the Reagan Administration. SCOE reports criticize the teaches union but do not criticize the size and competence of the SCUSD administration. 

The policy positions urged by Gordon are classic claims of austerity.  An official claims to be objective and announces  a budget crisis and then  proposes cut back ( that is reduction in education opportunities) as the only solution. In reality, the economic crisis is half baked and the there are other solutions, such as having the giant corporations like Amazon pay their taxes.  Some, not all, of these solutions would require state legislation.  There will be an item on the ballot in 2020 to raise taxes to adequately fund the schools. https://schoolsandcommunitiesfirst.org

In the meantime, readers should be skeptical of pronouncements from SCOE and Gordon. They are engaged in a public campaign to blame teachers for the inadequate funding of our schools.  This is a persistent effort of promoting a viewpoint called neoliberalism. 

Here is a summary of the neoliberal viewpoint in finance.