Fighting for Our Schools and Communities
The question of whether/how/where schools should reopen in the fall of 2020 is a central one for our communities across the country. On top of that, cities and states across the country are facing major projected budget shortfalls due to the COVID-19 crisis. Given these realities, the fight for our schools and communities has become even more urgent. But public education has been under attack for years – teachers and school support personnel have been forging partnerships with students, parents, and community groups for years as part of Bargaining for the Common Good work that has spread across the country. These fights have broadened the scope of what is possible to win for our communities at the bargaining table and proved that educators are a critical voice for systemic change.
Unions and community groups in Chicago, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Los Angeles and across the country are coming together to protect students and communities as we continue to grapple with COVID-19 and transform public education to center resources for and the success of Black and Brown students and families. We invite you to check out the resources below on how K-12 unions are continuing to fight for more in the midst of COVID-19.
For more information on our K-12 Campaigns, contact KB Brower at kb.brower@gmail.com.
Sample Demand:
Stem the School to Prison Pipeline. We demand that the school system work with teachers to pilot disciplinary practices that serve as alternatives to strictly punitive measures, including restorative justice methods.
BCG Education Resources
- United Teachers of Los Angeles
- UTLA Statement on Proactive School Closures. On the closure of LA Schools due to COVID-19.
- “Common Good and Community Support Demands.” UTLA demands on support for students and community in the midst of COVID-19.
- “LA Times article: Eliminate school police, L.A. teachers union leaders say.” On the elimination of police in Los Angeles’ schools.
- “UTLA overwhelmingly passes motion to divest from school police and invest in students.” On the elimination of police in Los Angeles’ schools.
- “We are only as protected collectively as our most vulnerable are protected. That’s why we need Medicare For All.” A press conference on recovering from COVID-19 as a city and school district.
- Chicago Teachers Union
- “Chicago Teachers Strike for the Schools Our Students Deserve and the City Our Community Deserves.” Amisha Patel and Stacy Davis Gates discuss the historic strike of Fall 2019. Leer in Español. View the conversation here.
- Common good demands on a just recovery from COVID-19
- CTU Contract Campaign: Housing. On why Chicago teachers should bargain for housing.
- “CTU to join students, grassroots groups calling for cops out of Chicago public schools.” CTU joins with students and community to call for cops out of schools.
- Massachusetts Teachers Association
- “Now More Than Ever.” A report on funding education in Massachusetts during and after COVID-19.
- “Reopening and Reimagining Our Public Schools.” A report on reopening schools safely and effectively.
- “Ban Police Officers From MA Schools: Teachers Union.” On how Massachusetts teachers are fighting for cops out of schools.
- “Mass. Teachers Association Demands Racial Equity, COVID Changes in Schools.” On transforming schools for racial justice and a post-COVID world.
- Boston Teachers Union
- Resource page on COVID-19
- “Common Good Platform during COVID-19 Crisis.” On a way forward for Boston’s schools and students.