March 5th is a big day for events (see both the entries below this one for other March 5th events).

One of the things that gets me angriest about NYC is the fact that schools keep getting cut. And even the money put in increasingly is going to a form of privatization that leaves more and more kids behind. We are hurting our own future, hurting our children by doing this.

Alliance for Quality Education is fighting back and March 5th is your chance to get involved in Albany:

10:30am – 11:00 : Check-in at The Albany State Armory, 195 Washington Ave in Albany.
11:00 – 11:30 : Welcome & Instructions for parade
11:30pm : Line-up for parade
11:45 – 12:15pm : March from The Armory to the capital building and around the perimeter
(ending at the West Lawn of the capital)
12:15 – 1:15pm : Rally at the West Lawn
1:30pm : Advocates disperse for lobby visits

Twitter #Parade4Ed

More info (all of below are PDFs)

Agenda for the day

Map of the parade route

2013 Budget Factsheet

Educate NY Now Funding Project Curriculum

Request Educate NY Now postcards (and bring them signed on March 5th! or if you can't make it, mail to your Assembly member and State Senator)

A new video from the Alliance for Quality Education trying to get solid education back on the agenda in New York:

More here:

http://www.aqeny.org/will-you-fund-our-schools/

I want to highlight some recent endorsements for David Weprin for Congress in the Sept. 13th special election for the NY-9 Congressional seat. This is a great opportunity to beat a teabagger candidate and support our teachers, firefighters and cops.

From two Firefighters Unions:

Firefighters, Officers Endorse David Weprin
for Congress

Today, at “The Enchanted Cottage,” Engine 305 in Forest Hills, New York, David
Weprin, Democratic Candidate for Congress in New York’s Ninth Congressional
District, received the endorsement of the the Uniformed Fire Officers Association
(UFOA) and United Firefighters Association (UFA).

"Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect New Yorkers, and we
need leaders like David Weprin fighting on the front lines for us in Washington,”
said UFOA President Al Hagan. “At every opportunity, David Weprin has stood up
for firefighters--by supporting working men and women at every turn and fighting
to protect the homeland security funding that ensures we can do our jobs safely
and effectively. He will fight against efforts in Washington to cut the Medicare and Social Security programs so many of our retired members rely on, and we
enthusiastically endorse David Weprin for the United States Congress."
Click here for a photo from the event.

"The UFA is proud to endorse David Weprin for Congress. As City Council
Finance Chair, David Weprin fought efforts to shutter FDNY companies that keep
our communities safe and secure. He understands the dangerous and difficult
job of firefighters, and we are confident he will do everything in his power when in Congress to see that the FDNY has needed funding and resources to protect New Yorkers," Jim Slevin, Vice President and Legislative Chair of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said. "David Weprin is a leader who will protect the benefits firefighters and first responders have earned over a lifetime of hard work. He'll fight the Republican efforts to cut Medicare and Social Security and will stand up for the working families who call Queens and Brooklyn home. That's why I join the UFOA and UFA in my proud support of David Weprin for Congress," said Congressman Joe Crowley.

"We need a strong partner in Congress like David Weprin who will stand with us
to keep firehouses open and ensure first responders have the resources they
need to protect us. Working men and women throughout New York can count on
David Weprin to protect their rights and fight against any cuts to the vital Social Security and Medicare programs they have paid into throughout their entire
careers," said City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Chair of the New York City
Council Fire and Criminal Justice Committee.

New York City has one of the largest fire departments in the world, with over
11,000 firefighters and over 3,300 EMTs and paramedics.

“I am honored to receive the support of the UFA and the UFOA. Each and every
day, New York’s Bravest make untold sacrifices to keep our city safe,” said
Weprin. “At a time when the financial security of millions of Americans is in
jeopardy, it is critical that those who have sacrificed so much for us – our
firefighters and first responders – know that Social Security and Medicare will be
there for them. In Congress, I will fight to make sure that no first responder, nor their families, have to worry whether the benefits they’ve earned over a lifetime will be there when they need them.”  read more »

This comes from the National Center for Science Education:

I thought that you would like to know about a screening of "No
Dinosaurs in Heaven," a new documentary directed by Greta Schiller
about the creationism/evolution controversy, to be held at 6:00 p.m.
on March 15 in the Martin E. Segal Theatre at the Graduate Center of
the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street) in
Manhattan. The event, part of the Science & the Arts Series, is free
and open to the public.

According to the filmmaker, "No Dinosaurs in Heaven" is "a film essay
that examines the hijacking of science education by religious
fundamentalists, threatening the separation of church and state and
dangerously undermining scientific literacy. The documentary weaves
together two strands: an examination of the problem posed by
creationists who earn science education degrees only to advocate
anti-scientific beliefs in the classroom; and a visually stunning raft
trip down the Grand Canyon, led by Dr. Eugenie Scott, that debunks
creationist explanations for its formation. These two strands expose  read more »

This comes via DFNYC:

The Ad Hock Committee To Stop School Closings & Charter Takeovers is hosting the following rally. Although DFNYC has not formally voted on this issue, many members of DFNYC have shown strong support for this effort through their response to our question "Charter Schools - What's Your Opinion?" http://dfnyc.org/content/view/2595/

Rally to Stop School Closings & Charter Takeovers

When: Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Where: City Hall Plaza - Across from Brooklyn Bridge entrance

From the event organizers:

"Mayor Bloomberg's Department of Education plans to close 26 schools and open more buildings to privately-run charter schools. Stand up to school closings, charter takeovers and the privatization of public education. Defend public education! Rally with parents, students, teachers and community members and declare that our schools and children are not for sale!"

For more information or to add your school/organization to the list of endorsers for this event, contact Gloria: gbran289@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more from the event organizers:  read more »