Media Advisory: Coalition of unions unite against cuts to public education

For immediate distribution:

March 3, 2020

Contacts:

Luke Thibault
lthibault [at] ifpte21.org
760-534-9958

Amanda Hart
Ahart [at] uesf.org
832-969-6956

MEDIA ADVISORY: Coalition of unions unite against cuts to public education

Parents, educators, students and support staff to hold rally outside of SF School Board

San Francisco, CA – On Thursday, March 5, hundreds of parents, students, educators, support staff, and community allies will hold a rally to demand that the San Francisco Board of Education partner with us to identify alternative budget solutions and prevent any and all cuts and layoffs. The students of San Francisco deserve fully funded and properly staffed schools.

Who: Hundreds of teachers, support staff, parents, students, and community advocates

When: Thursday, March 5, 2020, 4:30pm

Where: 555 Franklin Street, San Francisco

Our first rally on Tuesday, February 25, was attended by over 500 educators, support staff, students, and community allies who took over the board room. Now the District is calling a special meeting on Thursday, March 5, to hold a vote on layoffs related to a proposed $26 million deficit. We will rally outside, march to city hall, and speak out at the board meeting.

“A cut anywhere in a school that is operating on bare bones staff is unacceptable,” said Susan Solomon, President of UESF. “Our educators and students have spent years asking for fully staffed wellness centers, more therapists and social workers, crisis training for staff, and clear behavior guidelines. In a city as rich as San Francisco we should be talking about how to prioritize resources in a way that improves the outcomes of our youth and families, not how we're going to slash school budgets."

“Our students, teachers, staff, and community deserve so much more from the district, and we will work together to prevent all layoffs and ensure that we can give them the schools and services they deserve,” said Jan Gyn, IFPTE Local 21 SFUSD Chapter President.

“My department deals with issues like lead, asbestos, drinking water and indoor air quality, managing science lab chemicals, and more,” said Rafael Picazo Interim Director of the Environmental Health Department and SEIU 1021 SFUSD Chapter President. “We’ve already been cut to the bone—there’s nothing left. We have to fight back.”

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United Educators of San Francisco, SEIU 1021, IFPTE Local 21, United Administrators Of San Francisco Local 3: Our coalition of unions represent thousands of teaching and support staff of San Francisco Unified School District. Our members are professional educators, technology professionals, building and maintenance staff, nutrition specialists and many other staff who are essential to this district.

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