"Gillian, an Oakland teacher and parent, said: 'We can’t do the job that kids deserve without increasing education funding. That’s what we’re out here for, that’s what we’re supporting.'”

"OEA President Keith Brown captured this sentiment from the front of the rally, saying: 'We are also here to pressure the state to fully fund federally mandated services for our students with special needs...'"

"Stephanie Schwartz, a Berkeley Federation of Teachers member and special educator, explained: 'Almost 90 percent of Oakland Unified School District students are students of color. So when the district is trying to close 24 schools in the flatlands to be replaced by unaccountable charter schools while all the schools in the wealthier, whiter hills neighborhoods remain open, that’s a racial justice question.'"

https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/18/oakland-teachers-wont-wait-for-a-strike-deadline

The Oakland teachers walkout scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8am is being organized by teachers independently -- it's not sanctioned by the union.

This article explains: "Because the walkout is not sanctioned by the Oakland Education Association, the school district could discipline teachers who participate by docking their pay."

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-teachers-wildcat-walkout-protest-unions-la-13539231.php

The Washington Post talks about how the LA teachers strike emphasizes that Democrats are divided about supporting public schools. Saying Arne Duncan's rejection of the union-led strike is reflective of the trend of mainstream democrats supporting privatization of public schools.

"The union has used the charter issue as a rallying cry: The support of charters and the failure to properly fund the district, striking teachers say, is nothing more than a move toward the privatization of public education.

Democrats were long regarded as big supporters of public education, including powerful teachers unions. Democrats viewed public education as a way to provide equal opportunity to marginalized communities and to produce well-rounded young people who could become active members of America’s civil society. Many Republicans saw public schools as a way to train students for the workforce.

That changed in recent decades. As Democrats saw labor’s traditionally strong support weaken with changes in the economy, the party increasingly embraced market solutions to public problems. That was evident in its approach to overhauling public education: Among Democrats, support grew for operating schools as though they were businesses rather than civic institutions."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/01/17/why-la-teachers-strike-is-so-uncomfortable-so-many-democrats/?utm_term=.b677a500f1e3

Here's what SF 91.7 FM KALW public radio reported this week (26 min audio piece) on Black youth in SFUSD special education. Thoughts?

Includes some history back to 1968 and follow-up with Darryl Lester, now 60, who was the plaintiff in a 1971 lawsuit that "successfully challenged the use of culturally-biased IQ tests to improperly channel California Black students into special ed."

https://www.kalw.org/post/legacy-mistreatment-san-francisco-s-black-special-ed-students