From an email I received today:
Press Release!!
A group of Detroit teachers who vigorously campaigned against the recent contract that their union negotiated with DPS Financial Manager Rob Bobb have swept all 20 positions in union elections held this week for delegates to their union’s national convention scheduled for this summer in Seattle.
“With this vote, teachers in the schools have spoken loudly and clearly that they want a sharp change in union policy at the national level and an aggressive defense of public education against the charter schools and privatization plans of US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,” said Cass Tech teacher and long-time activist Steve Conn, whose 1507 votes placed him first in a field of 63 candidates.
The teachers group, known as Defend Public Education / Save Our Students, last week got the Detroit Federation of Teachers to begin mobilizing for the April 10th National March to Defend Public Education, in Washington DC. Buses will leave from the DFT headquarters on West Grand Blvd. Friday night, April 9th.
“As the rising new leaders of the DFT, we will take our message from the Department of Education building in DC to the convention center in Seattle – the future of American society depends on strengthening, not dismantling, efforts to provide every young person with an equal, quality, integrated public education experience,” said Conn. “We plan to get the Seattle convention to build a Million Teacher March on Washington this fall. “
The Defend Public Education group also plans to help lead DPS union in a march this Tuesday from the DFT Building to Rob Bobb’s headquarters at the Detroit New Center‘s Fisher Building in order to stop Bobb’s plans for massive school closings, layoffs, and union concessions. From the Fisher Building, they will march down Woodward Ave. to join cityworkers protesting Dave Bing’s Sate of the City Address at Orchestra Hall.
The group opposes a mayoral takeover of DPS,pointing out how much damage was done to the city’s schools by the 1999-2004 state / mayoral takeover.
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