Serendipity35

I know it is a holiday weekend and that college campuses are quiet and classrooms are emptier and faculty offices may be empty, but there is just too much bad news for education these days to take a holiday.

Education is taking a beating here in New Jersey from K-20. I know of at least a dozen people who have lost jobs in the past two months due to cuts.

Here is one way to act that I saw via The Whole Child group.

Join thousands of educators and their supporters from across the country as they call members of Congress demanding immediate action to prevent the loss of some 300,000 educator jobs nationwide today. Do your part to protect our children from increased class sizes, reduced school hours and days, and eliminated programs and services by following these four simple steps.

Step 1: Call 1-866-608-6355 to contact your members of Congress.

Step 2: Listen to the message containing the talking points you'll need for the call. After hearing the talking points, you will be immediately connected to the U.S. Capitol switchboard. If you know who your representative and senators are, ask to be connected to their offices. If you don't, give the switchboard operator your zip code and ask for the information. Once you get their names, ask to be connected to their offices.

Additional suggested talking points:
• Identify yourself as a Whole Child Supporter
• The ongoing economic challenges continue to negatively affect local budgets.
• In my community, school jobs are at serious risk.
• The number of jobs that could be lost will threaten our schools' progress, student achievement gains, and ongoing education reforms.
• Too many people are already out of work. Please support this investment to help hard working educators keep their jobs.

Step 3: Tell your representative and senators to support the inclusion of funding to save education jobs in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill.

Step 4: Repeat Step 1 to be connected to the offices of your other two elected officials.

We encourage you to share this information with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Congress can't ignore a strong message from all across the nation. Make your voice heard! Participate in the National Call-In Day and speak up for education and the whole child!

http://www.wholechildeducation.org
http://www.twitter.com/wholechildadv
http://www.ascd.org
http://www.facebook.com/ascd.org