SLAP Oakland Ed Conf: Fight Against the Destruction of Public Education & Public Services

July 9 Conference Call
The Fight Against the Destruction of Public Education and Public Services
School Closures, Class Cuts, Privatization, Charters, and Union Busting ILWU Local 6 Hall, 99 Hegenberger Rd., Oakland, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.
Our public schools and community colleges are undergoing many-sided attacks. School sites are being shut down and turned over to “charter schools.” Devastating class cuts in the community colleges have accelerated during the pandemic. The longstanding underfunding of public education in California despite a massive budget surplus is outrageous.
Privatization is affecting public services and public workers as their jobs and the services they provide continue to be turned over to private contractors and non- profit organizations. The plan to turn over the Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland to A’s billionaire John Fisher to build a sports stadium and expensive condos would devastate longshore workers and the port, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions.
The time has come for students, parents, educators, and school staff—all of us and all workers—to stand up and fight back! Schools and Labor Against Privatization (SLAP) will be holding an educational conference on July 9 from 10 to 5. This will be a hybrid conference, vaccination and masking is required to attend in person, vaccination status checked at the door. To participate on zoom, email labormedia1 [at] gmail.com to register. Social media information coming later.
We seek to bring together educators, students, community members and trade unionists to share and discuss the growing attacks on our public schools, the privatization of public services, why this is happening and what to do about it.
Conference Panels
Morning session: 1. What is happening in Bay Area school districts?
2. Impact of the cuts on students.
3. Privatization of public services; the role of non-profits; Howard Terminal plans. Afternoon session: 4. The Big Picture. Why is public education being downsized despite a $97 billion state surplus? The role of FCMAT. Charter schools. The efforts to weaken unions and the role of union leadership. What are the alternatives?
5. Plenary: What is to be done? Proposals to be put forward and discussed.
For more information,
SLAP website at http://www.slapbayarea.org