Tell Congress -> Don’t Cut Schools!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

3rd grade. Do you remember your third grade? For me, it’s the smell of
warm peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as I opened my lunchbox, the sound
of crinkly sheets of multiplication tables, and memories of my single mom
scrambling to get me to class. Mrs. Upton, my Springhill Lake Elementary
homeroom teacher, helped hold it all together. She meant the world to me
and has my lifelong gratitude. (If you’re reading this Mrs. Upton, thank
you).

[ [link removed] ]* TAKE ACTION: Sign here to tell Congress not to make devastating
education cuts.

(If you have time, you can also powerfully support local teachers by
making a handwritten note thanking a homeroom or favorite teacher. After
that, post a picture of your thank you note on social media with
#ThankYouTeachers to help show a community of support. And then, if you
can, also give the note to a special teacher in your life).

This is not a drill. A bill in the Republican-led U.S. House
Appropriations Committee would cut federal funding for Title I schools by
80%. This bill would reduce education funding more deeply and drastically
than ever before. A decision like this would devastate our students and
schools – at the same time that schools are facing harmful book bans,
censorship, harm, and toxic political calls for inaccurate curriculum.

This funding helps fill in gaps for schools that have been historically
underfunded for generations—schools in predominantly Black, brown, and
rural areas. In fact, 53% of students nationwide benefit from the enhanced
support and smaller class sizes Title I provides. 

Why is this an emergency right now? Schools are being turned into
battlegrounds by hate groups intent on dividing parents for political
gain. Teacher shortages are worsening. In most states, teacher vacancies
grew by at least 35 percent. Classrooms and schools are becoming volatile,
difficult places for teaching and learning – and this is pushing teachers
out of the profession. Politics of hate and division are harming teachers
and students. And, as this is happening, budget battles are happening in
our nation’s capitol right now.

[ [link removed] ]Your voice is needed. Public school for me – and for so many of us –
opened up possibility and promise. At school, I learned the true, real
history of our nation. I explored ideas in math and science. My
imagination and empathy were opened by books. And school was also a center
of stability and a safe place to grow.

Public schools, students, teachers, parents and families are under attack.
Far right extremists are lying to divide parents, to turn our schools into
political battlegrounds, and to use our children as political footballs.

We won’t stand for this on our watch.

[ [link removed] ]* TAKE ACTION: Sign here to tell Congress not to make devastating
education cuts.

(If you have time, you can also powerfully support local teachers by
making a handwritten note thanking a homeroom or favorite teacher. After
that, post a picture of your thank you note on social media with
#ThankYouTeachers to help show a community of support. And then, if you
can, also give the note to a special teacher in your life).

If you’re outraged, you’re not alone [2]:

* 94% of moms support schools “providing an honest, accurate, and
age-appropriate education.”
* 78% of moms say that “a few parents should not be able to ban books
from schools.
* 80% of moms agree with “teaching students age-appropriate truth about
pregnancy, sex, and sexually transmitted infections.”
* 91% of moms agree that “schools play an important supporting role in
children’s development of self-respect, personal responsibility, and
social skills like anti-bullying.”
* And, four in five moms (82%) agree that “children – whether they are
transgender or not – learn best when they trust their teachers and
feel safe to be themselves.”

Let’s have our schools backs. Tell Congress that we need fully funded
public schools without bans, censorship, harm, and inaccurate curriculums
that are based on politics not facts.

The new school year is a time to remember that every student deserves the
freedom to learn, to attend a safe & welcoming public school, and to learn
from a qualified educator who is deeply committed to their success.

Most parents and caregivers are eager for their students to open their
textbooks, open their lockers, and be open to learning the new ideas and
skills they need to reach their full potential. These families look
forward to working with the educators in their children’s lives to open
doors to a better future.

[ [link removed] ]* DON’T FORGET TO TAKE ACTION: Sign here to tell Congress not to make
devastating education cuts.

(And don’t forget to also make a handwritten thank you note to a teacher
too! If you have time, you can also powerfully support local teachers by
making a handwritten note thanking a homeroom or favorite teacher. After
that, post a picture of your thank you note on social media with
#ThankYouTeachers to help show a community of support. And then, if you
can, also give the note to a special teacher in your life).

Hate and censorship is not who we are: Moms and teachers work together
every day to find solutions – and we’ll keep working together no matter
who tries to divide us.

We are stronger than the bans, censorship, and hate that’s bringing
culture wars to our classrooms and denying our kids the chance to learn.
We stand for our children. We trust educators and parents, not
politicians, to ensure our kids get the best education possible.

And to be clear: Study after study shows, hard-working moms don’t want
hate and harm anywhere near our schools, instead moms want and need a care
infrastructure that lifts our families, businesses and economy [3]:

* 86% of moms strongly favor access to high quality, affordable child
care and pre-K for all children;
* 84% of moms strongly favor access to high quality, affordable health
care;
* 81% of moms strongly favor access to high quality, affordable elder
and disability care;
* 79% of moms strongly favor 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave;
and
* 74% of moms strongly favor community-based intervention services aimed
at reducing gun violence.

* In short: We know what we want and need, and it’s not attacks on schools
and teachers. So after you sign the letter to Congress, please share the
action link on social media and with your friends and family to help
protect schools:

Here’s the link -> [ [link removed] ][link removed]

The more of us who raise our voices, the stronger we are together in
combating the hate and harm being thrown at our schools.

Thank you for joining us in standing for schools, students, educators and
parents.

- Kristin, Monifa, Ruth, Donna, Nate, Lucrecer, Jenny, Elyssa, and the
whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team

 

P.S. [ [link removed] ]We’ve already created some “Thank You” notes for inspiration (or
if you’re short on time) that you can download here. Don’t forget to take
a picture of it, and post it on social media with #ThankYouTeachers (and
then senhd it into school with your child if you have time too).

 

[1] [ [link removed] ]Teacher shortages have gotten worse. Here’s how schools are coping,
The Washington Post, August 2023
[2] Moms Don’t Want Hate In Schools
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
[3] Moms Want And Need A Care Infrastructure
[link removed]


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