Thousands of Parents, Educators, Students and Community Leaders Gather Across 17 States for a National Movement for Just and Equitable Public Schools
Part of a September Surge, #PublicSchoolStrong Campaign Advances During Back-to-School Season
September 30, 2024
Featuring local actions in Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota, Arizona, Illinois, and 12 additional states, thousands of community advocates are taking part in a national “September Surge” calling for the honest, equitable, and full funding of America’s local public schools. Built on the #PublicSchoolStrong campaign, the coordinated surge is part of a national movement anchored by HEAL Together (an initiative of Race Forward and Schott Foundation for Public Education) and Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools—a coalition of parent, youth, community and labor organizations that together represent over 7 million people nationwide.
Just days before the critically needed American Rescue Plan dollars expire for America’s public schools, the grassroots campaign will launch with local actions led by parents, students, community members, and educators.
Central to many of the actions is a call for school boards around the country to sign on to resolutions demanding the full funding of public education, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I. Neither of these programs have been fully funded despite their passage almost 60 years ago. A recent infusion of federal funds through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan highlighted how fully funding public schools benefits the academic performance and social well-being of all students. The American Rescue Plan funding ends on September 30, 2024, and public school students will again lose valuable educational resources needed to thrive.
Highlights from September Surge events include:
A “Week of Action” in more than 17 states, 50 cities and hundreds of school sites, including school “walk-ins” on September 30.
Chicago, IL: Educators, parents, community members and students will “walk-in” at more than 200 hundred school sites throughout the Windy City demanding more funding for their schools and school communities.
Kentucky: A statewide coalition is featuring a campaign bus tour with stops in Lexington, Frankfurt, and Louisville to promote the need to fully fund public schools.
Ohio: Community leaders are staging an “Advocate for Education Day” along with public forums across the state to build momentum for equity in school policies and to elevate the need for community voices in decision-making processes.
Minnesota: Grassroots groups are advocating for expanded public school funding that addresses disparities in student wellbeing and academic outcomes, and to stop the sharp increase in school closures around the state.
Arizona: Parents and educators are partnering with local organizations to host town halls focused on dismantling harmful school policies and expanding culturally responsive education practices.
Tennessee: Parents, students, and community members in 11 counties across the state are turning out to their school board meetings to elevate the need for fully-funded public schools and reject efforts to privatize.
"Parents and educators across Tennessee have had enough of policies that marginalize our children and of efforts to defund our public schools, like voucher programs,” said Angela Wynn, a parent and community leader in Tennessee. “This movement is about standing up for well-resourced, quality public schools, which are attended by 90 percent of students, and where every one of them can thrive, no matter their race or background."
“The future of Oregon's public school is in our hands, and we won't stop fighting until every school building has the resources it needs to meet the social and emotional needs of all our students and their families," said Katie Lukins, vice president of the Beaverton Education Association. "For us, this fight is two-fold; we are fighting forward for a fair and equitable collective bargaining agreement that funds our schools, and we want to see full funding from our leaders in Washington, D.C."
"The future of Ohio’s public schools is in our hands, and we won’t stop fighting until we have schools that are truly inclusive and fully funded,” said Nate Brown, organizing director for Honesty in Ohio Education. “Our communities are leading the way to push back against inequitable policies and build the schools our children deserve."
For media inquiries, please contact: moira@reclaimourschools.org
