Grassroots Arkansas sent out the following alert to friends of public education and democracy:

 

Friends,

It has been a long, hard five years of state control, and so much of the future of public education in Arkansas will be decided this week. We need YOU to join us, stand up, and speak out. NOW is the time. We all must choose to stand on the right side of history against a district where democratic representation is divided by race and class. We’re up against some of the biggest corporations in the world. The only way we win is together. #OneLRSD #AsaFaubus

We are ABSOLUTELY standing against state, city, county, and/or special interest groups’ control. We want the entire district back with a locally, democratically-elected school board, and we want to have access to all of our resources to create the healthiest structures and develop world-class, equitable, sustainable community schools for every student in every classroom at every school.!

Monday
Join us in our 1,000 calls/tweets/e-mails ASAP to request Governor Hutchinson meets with the Support Our LRSD Coalition on either Monday, 10/7 or Tuesday, 10/8. Contact the Governor ASAP, every day at (501)682-2345, info@governor.arkansas.gov, or @AsaHutchinson on Twitter.
Join us for informational picketing, 5-6pm on MLK over I-630
 
6pm: Tune in to the Journey4Justice podcast as they host Dr. Anika Whitfield
Tuesday
Share a 1-2 minute live video of yourself, your child/children/grandchild/grandchildren expressing that, “We support our LRSD. We are #OneLRSD who loves #OurLRSD and we will work as long and as hard as we must until we #ReclaimLRSD together! Join us in wearing red for public education and to stop state control!” @Grassroots Arkansas, @AsaHutchinson, @cnnbrk, @MSNBC_Breaking, @adv_project, @j4j_usa. Call/text/email/ message friends, family, co-workers/colleagues, constituents, neighbors, faith community members or share with with them one day during breakfast/lunch/dinner what is going on with the LRSD and request they join us the following 3 days:
  • The State is dividing our children and the type of resources being provided them by socieconomic class.
  • The State has taken away our representation, but is steadily collecting our tax dollars.
  • The State is giving our public schools (that are paid for and maintained by our property taxes) to charter school companies.
  • The State is threatening to dissolve the LREA (teacher’s and educator’s union).  Retirement plans, jobs/employment, bargaining negotiations for contracts and employment conditions will no longer be protected.
Wednesday
Join us for a Community Action Training from 6-7pm at Bishop Leodies & Goldie Warren Community Development Center, 1200 Bishop Warren Dr Suite A and then for a Candlelight Vigil on at Central High School, 7:30pm
Thursday-Friday
Plan on being at the State Board of Education meeting Thursday, 10/10 10am-? and Friday, 10/11 9am-? as the State Board votes to destroy the last teachers’ union in Arkansas.
The people united will never be defeated!