Fwd: Education Funding Initiatives

[Guest guest]

Note: forwarded message attached.

It is not often that educators, administration and parents

all agree on something. It reminds me very much of a story by Ursula Le

Guin (The Lathe of Heaven), where the main character can dream the future; he

dreams of a united world, but the manifestation of the dream comes when a

seemingly insurmountable enemy threatens the Earth. Yes, we are united,

but for the sole reason of fighting a common threat – budget cuts!

Here are some of the activities which are on-going:

·

Letter Writing Campaign (Kicked off by North

Central Area Advisory)

Some good guidelines for writing letters are presented, along with a list of

education-related web sites.

·

Rally for Education

1. February

26, at 4:30 PM, at the KCW parking lot on 3rd. Ave., The Broward County Council

PTAs and Floridians for

Quality Education are hosting a community rally. Parking begins at

4:30 pm in the District parking garage and the rally begins in open parking lot

at 5:00 pm. Please arrive early, wear your school’s spirit t-shirt and

bring any signs you would like to be seen. A flyer is attached for

distribution purposes.

2. February

28, at 11:00 AM, in Orlando at University of Central Florida's campus arena the

Florida Education Association

is holding a rally. If you know anyone in Orlando, please tell them

about the rally.

3. March 18,

at 11:00 AM, in Tallahassee, at the Capitol, PTA, FEA, FSBA and several

other groups are holding an education rally. People are attending from around

the state. More details on Broward County’s participation will be

forthcoming.

·

District Advisory Council Resources

Please take advantage of the local resources available at your school and the

district. We are not alone! The District Advisory Council has a web

site that can be found by clicking here.

It is a great place to go to see what is happening. There is also a Legislative

page that has good information on how to find your representatives and education

priorities.

We are currently in the lull before the storm which is to

come before the storm. As can be seen below, General Revenue is projected

to be at the levels of 2003-2004, a significant reduction from the peak in

2005-2006. It is likely to fall further and budget decisions need to be

made wisely. You are all urged to stay involved and not leave anything to

chance. Participate wherever possible.

(graphic courtesy of FloridaTaxWatch)

Best regards,

Steve Ostroff

President, Westpine Middle PTO

President, Piper High School PTSA