ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.. Stop balancing the budget on the backs of our kids! Due to former Superintendent Wilson's BLOATING of Central Office, fiscal mismanagement, and massive overspending by Central - the district has been operating with a structural deficit for several years, depleting our reserves and causing us to fall below the state mandated 2% reserve. The Alameda County Office of Education has threatened NOT to approve our 2017-18 budget report unless OUSD restores that 2% reserve - just $1.2 million would get us there - and takes steps to get our finances in order. The District ALREADY cut $32 million over the last 10 months to close the shortfall which hurt kids and schools (by cutting essential programs and services). By December 13, the district will vote on $15.1 million in additional cuts (with $5.6 million being cut directly from school sites) - which is far more than necessary to meet the reserve. IT IS POSSIBLE to keep cuts away from all school sites if the BOARD: ● Cuts From the Top - Not From the Kids. Return to 2013-14 Central staffing levels for executive positions, cut from Central anything that is non-essential to kids learning, and cut unnecessary consultants! Publish transparent Central Dept budgets - we need to know how our kids money is being spent. MOVING FORWARD, ● We need to adopt budget equity principles to ensure any future proposed cuts include community input and engagement, and do not disproportionately harm our most vulnerable students. ● We also need to make necessary changes required (immediately) to establish a Healthy Finance Department HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW! ● SIGN and SHARE this petition https://tinyurl.com/nocutstokids - to make your voice heard now and get updates ● EMAIL board members to demand NO CUTS TO SCHOOLS: https://tinyurl.com/emailousdboard ● ATTEND and SPEAK UP at the School Board Meeting on NOVEMBER 27th ● SHARE YOUR IDEAS for savings by with OUSD: https://tinyurl.com/suggestsavings The Justice for Oakland Students Coalition (J4OS) is a group of deeply concerned students, parents/families, teacher allies, and community organizations - including Oakland Kids First (OKF), Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN), Black Organizing Project (BOP), Parents United for Public Schools and others - who came together to demand our District: Directly fund schools, not high salaries at the executive level in Central Office. Budget transparency and accountability. Dollars should align to the greatest need; Stop the proliferation of charter schools and re-invest in making all in-district schools excellent; Divest from school police and reinvest in a culture of restorative justice, real school safety and inclusion; and Honor the principles of equity, meaningful engagement of students and parents, democratic decision-making and shared governance.

Neville Pinto and Mayor John Cranley, We will not tolerate racism, hatred and violence on our campus! I can’t understand for the life of me why you would allow a person such as Richard Spencer to speak at the University of Cincinnati knowing his background and the destruction and death he caused with his rallies. You all keep bringing up this whole freedom of speech B.S., but not allowing him to book a facility is not denying him freedom of speech. He shouldn’t be allowed to book a facility at the University and use it to incite violence and hate! You have majority of the students and faculty saying they do not want him there, but yet you are still allowing this. What about the voices of those who make the University of Cincinnati what it is today? If it weren’t for those students you would not have the position you call “president”. I am a concerned parent and when I attended UC’s orientation I was assured that safety was top priority when it came to students and staff. But clearly this was a lie or a tactic in order to get your student population up or flat out just about money! I am absolutely sure that freedom of speech does not include the right to incite actions that would harm others, and if your lawyers didn’t know that, then you need to get new lawyers! I would like for the University of Cincinnati to change it’s decision and not allow Richard Spencer to book a facility to speak at the University. If you allow this man to speak, then you are aiding in the harassment of your students and staff along with placing everyone there in a hostile environment. You will be destroying the integrity of the school should you allow this event to take place! Keep in mind that Richard Spencer is taking full advantage of your lack of strength and unity you have with the school and all of its occupants! This is not about the freedom of speech that everyone has, but about inciting violence and hate by threats of fake lawsuits that you are buying into! Again no one is denying freedom of speech but you do not have to facilitate any speech! We all know Richard Spencers background, why would we want to host someone who want to cause a criminal disturbance? You have to know that violence is inevitable if you’re in preparation of extra safety and security measures! Do not facilitate Richard Spencer, stand by your University and choose love! Thank you Parents, Family, Friends, and Supporters

The work for the people is not getting done and its time for that to stop

On September 20th a volunteer at Ameilia's school tried to pull her from her seat because she refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I say tried because as she yanked and pulled Millie under her arms trying to get her to stand she refused. I was in the hall right outside of the class talking to Millie's teacher and hadn't noticed until she started screaming mommy. When I stepped back in the class and said she doesn't have to stand for the pledge instead of taking her hands immediately off my child she looked at the teacher and asked if she had to stand. The teacher replied no and she then let my baby go. Now anyone who knows me knows it took everything in me not to lose my temper. Mind you this was the 4th time that this volunteer had put her hands on Ameilia in an inappropriate way in FRONT of me. I had already met with the principal and was in the hall talking to the teacher about her at that moment. When the teacher and I stepped back in the hall after both witnessing this she told me that she would speak to Mrs.Vance. I then told her that I was planning to let her know that Millie didn't want to stand for the pledge and I had told her she didn't have too. Ameilia has said she didn't know why she had to stand for the pledge and that she didn't feel like it and I told her that she didn't have to. When she didn't stand and sat quietly in her seat that should have been that. Unfortunately, the teacher then told me that she wanted Millie to "understand what was afforded to her in this country because in some countries 5-year-olds don't go to school. They wake up and go to sweatshops." I can only imagine what would have happened if I wasn't there. I had already met with the principal about this volunteer grabbing Millie before this incident and after this incident, I called the Superintendent. Nothing has happened to the teacher or the volunteer but Ameilia's class was changed as if she had done something wrong. Now I am being told that I am not allowed to walk my 5-year-old to class because it's board policy even though I walked her to class every day before this incident. I asked to see this policy in writing but it still has not been provided to me. It is unacceptable for Hazel Park School District to have volunteers physically forcing children to stand for the pledge. My daughter decided not to stand and I supported her as a parent. Instead of taking the right steps and removing Ms. Vance from the classroom my child had to change classes and now I'm not allowed to walk her to class as I've always done. Clearly we are being targeted by the school. Tell Hazel Park School District to remove Ms. Vance and stop punishing my daughter for sitting for the anthem.

United States Education Secretary Betsy Devos has been invited by the University of Baltimore President, Kurt Schmoke to give the fall commencement address at the University of Baltimore, on December 18, 2017. President Schmoke decided to move forward with the invitation for Betsy Devos despite the Student Government Association’s proposed resolution to revoke Ms. Devos’s invitation to speak at commencement in response to a drafted a petition in opposition to DeVos, that received over 3,000 signatures. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos is a representative of the Trump administration that has routinely proposed discriminatory policies that negatively impact Black and Brown Communities. Ms. Devo’s policies perpetuate Trump's destructive cycle of alienating communities of color by deconstructing the public education system of which many University of Baltimore Students are a product. Her remarks about school choice ‘ have been found to be racially insensitive and tone deaf to the needs of the public school systems and the communities it serves. In addition, Secretary of Education Devos’s reversal of Obama Administration policy on campus sexual assault under the Title IX is in direct opposition to the University of Baltimore’s stance on gender equity and supporting a safe campus environment. The teachers union has also called on the University to rescind the invitation for Secretary Devos to speak. It is clear that this invitation from President Schmoke runs counter to the wishes of the university community as well as the greater community of Baltimore. Please Join the student body of the University of Baltimore, and sign the petition to President Schmoke telling him to listen to students and rescind Secretary Devos’s invitation to speak at the University of Baltimore Fall 2018 commencement.

Update: October 7th, 2017 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia— “You will not replace us” “Russia is our friend” “the South will rise again.” CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia—White supremacist Richard Spencer suddenly reappeared on Saturday night with torch-bearing supporters, two months after he organized an infamous hate march here. Spencer and his 50 or so followers gathered around a statue of Robert E. Lee in Emancipation Park chanting white supremacist slogans. “They were shouting ‘You will not replace us,’ ‘Russia is our friend,’ ‘the South will rise again,’ ‘we'll be back,’” said a University of Virginia faculty member, who wished not to be named for fear of retribution. Via @thedailybeast On Saturday, August 12th, white supremacist, terrorists marched through Charlottesville, communities and the University of Virginia campus, rallying around a statue of the Confederacy and carrying torches evoking a history of violent racial terrorism. The next day in Charlottesville they murdered someone in the name of their white supremacist symbols. Protesters were rammed by a car killing someone in a terrorist attack. These symbols were not chosen randomly. Confederate monuments have been erected and remain as a direct rebuke to the recognition of the full humanity of Black people. Confederate monuments were built and given places of honor in public space as gains in this recognition have been made and it is the commitment to the reversal of this recognition of humanity that draws white nationalists to these symbols. These symbols of white supremacy have always been memorials to the cause of slavery and the denial of humanity to Black people. Now they are being weaponized to rally white supremacists. We have the power to diffuse these modern-day lynch mobs by removing these statues altogether, instead of giving white supremacists a rally point. Confederate statues and named institutions are more than mere symbols of a heritage but instead, they are an assertion of the continued imposition of white supremacy and its current political power. Terrorists in Charlottesville understood this and were willing to kill in the name of this, we must be determined to persist in the face of this white supremacist terror. Removing all Confederate statues would be one step among many in sending the message that we are no longer honoring white supremacy at a societal level. We've already many communities take the step to address these monuments in cities like Tampa and New Orleans. Join with me today and pledge to work to remove all Confederate statues or names from our community. - [ ]

The state of Mississippi is moving to take over the Jackson Public School District (JPS). JPS is the state's second largest district, the only urban one and is about 97% Black. Mississippi has continually under-funded Black and poor districts for many years. Last year, JPS was under-funded by about $11.5mil during the last school year, while the conservative state leaders have continually changed laws and regulations to make it easier to privatize public dollars (i.e. charter, vouchers, tax credits), starting with 3 charter schools in Jackson. This is a national trend that disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities and has shown negligible gains for our children. We are asking for your support in pushing our state leadership to prevent this takeover. The state of Mississippi has never cared about the Black children of Jackson, and they aren't about to start, so we need your support in letting the leadership know this and allow us to keep local control (achieved through a democratic process). JPS went through an unfair, and unprecedented audit in order to create the sense of chaos in the district. On Aug 31, we got the results of the year long audit and it was completely off base. We had the opportunity to respond in hearings on September 13 and 14, but the state board still recommended takeover to the governor, without ever reading our responses, documentation, and exhibits. These are the most pressing reasons why this is an unjust and unfair takeover that is very clearly about the re-colonization of our city and pulling away our resources: Specifically, we are requesting the governor make a decision to not sign the take over of the Jackson Public Schools for the following reasons: 1. The Jackson Public School District has addressed and corrected a substantial number of the audit findings in the Audit Report released Thursday, August 31. 2. The students, parents and community members stand ready to work in partnership with the district to address those remaining issues within their purview. 3. Many of the audit findings that form the basis of this proposed takeover are administrative and procedural, not educational in nature; yet, a state takeover will directly and negatively impact the instructional capacity and effectiveness of the district. 4. Fact, state takeovers of school districts do not yield improvements in student achievement; rather, more often than not, student achievement is stagnated during the short term and delayed over the long term. 5. State takeovers diminish community engagement and involvement, necessary ingredients to increase and enhance district and student success. 6. Extracurricular activities are important components to student, school and community life. Students in Jackson deserve the right to participate in activities that will enhance their academic, social and emotional wellbeing while preparing for life after graduation. These activities often keep students in school. A take over will affect opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities. 7. The students, parents, community leaders, faith leaders and business leaders should determine the future Jackson Public Schools.

My cousin attends Centrsl Catholic High School. He received a detention because he has dreadlocks. Before his mother admitted him to the school she asked if his hair was acceptable and they said it is. She paid for the whole school year and they took her money. A couple of weeks ago he was told his dreadlocks had to be cut off because it's a fad hairstyle. After she disagreed with them, they told her that he had to cut his dreadlocks to the collar of his shirt. He has had dreadlocks since he was a toddler. Now the teachers at the school are shunning him because his mother is fighting for his rights. This is religious, cultural, and gender discrimination. This is important because dreadlocks is not a fad hairstyle it is part of our culture. Many black people are under attack today in 2017 because they are wearing their natural hair. This should not be so. There are black people being denied jobs and admissions to schools because they are wearing their natural hair. Men and boys are being told that they have to cut their hair to a certain length . We all know that dreadlocks grow long. This needs to stop. We had to learn to love ourselves as black people and embrace Who We Are. We can't allow them to do this to us and our children. We have to stand up for our rights.

Many Americans have been beginning a conversation about our nation’s living wounds. It's clear that too many are ignorant of our country’s history. And this past week has shown that a small minority of white nationalists are increasingly comfortable with publicly stirring up the worst aspects in American society by pitting Americans against each other. To these white nationalists, Robert E. Lee represents their deep commitment to racial hierarchy. When three of his slaves escaped, Lee whipped them and had their backs washed with stinging brine. Lee ordered his Confederate soldiers to respect white property, but declared that any black people they encountered -- regardless of their previous ‘status’ -- were to be seized and returned to the South to be sold into slavery. At the Battle of the Crater, Lee’s Army even killed black prisoners of war. This is the history we honor when we name our school after Robert E. Lee -- and why white nationalists felt so threatened by the removal of his statue in Charlottesville. We must understand the stakes too. Arlington should not shy away from taking a clear stand on this issue. It's up to our civic leaders and institutions to take steps toward reconciling and repairing our nation's living wounds where we can make a difference. Washington-Lee High School should be renamed in order to emphatically reject the doctrine of white supremacy and so that we can move toward creating a school, county and country that truly belongs to all who call it home. If the President of the United States is unwilling to provide the leadership our country needs, then we must provide it ourselves. The story of our nation has always been a struggle over who America belongs to: the chosen few, or all of us? This is what is at stake when we honor the leaders of the Confederacy. Which side of that struggle will we honor? Germans don't honor Nazi soldiers; South Africans don't honor those who held up Apartheid. But Americans still honor Robert E. Lee and countless other Confederates who raised up a new flag and started a rebellion against the United States of America. Why? Let's take concrete steps toward living up to our best traditions and creating a nation where we all feel like we belong and where "We, the People" includes all of us. This is our historic responsibility as Americans in this moment in our history. Rename Washington-Lee High School.

"The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman,” Malcolm X once stated. Fifty-five years later, women leaders of color are still under attack, from Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Senator Kamala Harris, to the racism and Islamophobia launched at the women of color that co-chaired the Women’s March. As a Black Muslim woman, mother of 7 daughters and 2 granddaughters, I will not sit idly by and allow attacks on Black and Brown women to continue. And now a hedge fund billionaire has accused the highest ranking African American elected official — the highest-ranking African-American woman to hold elected office in the history of New York State — of being worse than the Ku Klux Klan. As reported in the New York Times on August 10, Dan Loeb, one of the wealthiest men in America, launched a viciously racist attack against New York State Democratic Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, saying she has done “more damage to people of color than anyone who has ever donned a hood.” Loeb is a hedge fund billionaire who has contributed over $170,000 to Governor Cuomo’s campaign accounts, according to The New York Times, and this does not even include pass-through donations from political action committees. This attack on Senator Stewart-Cousins is nothing new for him. From public education to the economy, Loeb has repeatedly used his wealth to promote an agenda that has devastated communities of color and working families. Governor Andrew Cuomo positioning himself to run for President in 2020. If Cuomo wants us to believe he has what it takes to challenge Donald Trump and his racist worldview, he needs to have the political courage to break ranks with Loeb now! If he wants have Democratic Party support, he needs to stand with the most important and dedicated bloc of Dem voters: Black women! There is no place for Cuomo’s alliance with Dan Loeb in American politics. From the State House to the White House, from Main Street to Wall Street, NO MORE! Join me in demanding that Governor Cuomo immediately break all ties with Loeb, and refund every dollar he has ever received from Loeb and from political action committees that Loeb finances.

GMU’s largest donor, the Charles Koch Foundation, has entered into grant agreements with other universities and non-profits in exchange for influence over hiring, research and curricular decisions. We believe transparency of George Mason's relations with private donors is of the utmost importance. The agenda of private donors should not take precedence over service to the public. The Charles Koch Foundation and its donors have ties to ALEC, the shadowy right-wing organization responsible for writing model legislation designed to attack Black communities like voter ID and Stand Your Ground laws. They have also contributed to Americans For Prosperity which has undertaken voter suppression efforts designed to attack Black communities' freedom to vote by running disinformation campaigns in states like North Carolina. While doing so they also have funded scholarships to Black organizations which require paternalistic directions stipulating students must study under only professors they approve. As students concerned for the integrity of our university with concern about this pattern of attack and control, we demand to you make your grant and gift agreements with private donors transparent! George Mason University is a public university dedicated to public service and that means we must know what agreements are made with donors that have a clear desire to influence the bounds and rights of the public. That one of the largest university donors has funded organizations that have actively worked to erode the rights of Black people while being shielded from scrutiny by George Mason University is disturbing. We demand transparency!

The National Center for Transgender Equality reports that, according to its figures, between August 2013 to August 2015, around 33 trans women have been killed across the U.S. Investigating that further, the majority of those victims have been women of color, specifically Black women. The NCTE goes on to say that in every case where a perpetrator has been identified, all have been men. According to the NTCE: “Yet, what is clear is that transgender women are killed at a disproportionate rate compared to their overall number in the population (less than one percent). The national homicide rate is 4.7 per 100,000—yet at a little more than halfway through the year, we have seen at least 11 killings among an estimated 350,000 adult trans women, almost all of them among trans women of color, who probably number fewer than 135,000.1 Whether they were killed by a date or a boyfriend, a neighbor or acquaintance, a complete stranger, or by a client while engaged in sex work, their transgender status almost always plays a role in why they are targeted and the brutality directed against them. ”In the United States, as in other Western countries, misogyny is still a huge problem. While this often creates subtle biases that manifest in non-lethal ways, such as fewer education and employment options for women, it also underpins intimate partner violence, rape and violent murders. When we have politicians and even judges who routinely overlook violence and exploitation of women, and treat violating women for the purposes of fighting abortion as a matter of collateral damage, we do not tackle that misogyny but give it room to grow. In addition, there is no escaping that the United States still has a serious problem with race. For trans women, who already face transphobia and the sexualization and objectification of their bodies, racial prejudice can compound the difficulties they face and prevent them from being able to get help when they need it. For example, after the death of Sandra Black in police custody, many women of color voiced their feeling that they wouldn’t feel safe talking to a police officer. Imagine adding that to the fact that trans women have been arrested for simply being trans–under the guise of “manifesting prostitution” among other trumped up charges–and we begin to see a huge gulf opening up between the public and the police who are meant to protect them. When trans people–of whatever gender or race–are assaulted, raped or murdered, they are routinely misgendered by both police and by the press. This means that tracking the numbers of trans people being murdered, and in particular being killed in a bias motivated attack, is incredibly difficult.