One week ago today, the new LAUSD school board members were sworn-in, along with the Mayor and other elected officials throughout Los Angeles. That's why on that same day, we held our own swearing-in ceremony for the parents of Los Angeles. We announced that half the parents in Venice and half the parents in East Los Angeles had signed onto the Parent Revolution, and then 300 parents assembled in front of the LAUSD headquarters took the following oath:
We, the parents of Los Angeles, do hereby pledge to take back our schools, because we are the only people without a conflict of interest when it comes to our children and their future.
We, the parents of Los Angeles, do also hereby pledge to take back our schools by any means necessary, because we only get one chance to give our children the education they need and the future they deserve.
Parents are mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. Parents are taking back control of our schools, because we are the only ones without a conflict of interest when it comes to our kids and their future. The Parent Revolution is swearing-in parents all across Los Angeles, to take control over our schools and and drag the LAUSD kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
Parent Revolution lead organizer Shirley Ford was watching TV with Nia, her four year old granddaughter, this past weekend when Nia spontaneously declared "She She, I can rap! And I'm gonna rap about your Parent Revolution." Shirley did what any good grandma would do- grabbed her videocamera and pressed record. Enjoy!
Here, as promised, are a few pictures from our rally outside LAUSD
Headquarters last Wednesday. Hope everyone had a great July 4th!
Click "Read More to see the entire set... Enjoy!
She IS the Revolution:
Ben "swears in" the parents of Los Angeles:
Abby Garcia, president of the local AMU Teachers Union and Garfield
High School alum, speaks about pro-union education reform and the need
for change at Garfield:
We had an amazing event today- for those who couldn't make it, we'll have some great pics, videos, and thoughts up in the next 24 hours. For now, please enjoy our latest video... the official Parent Revolution Music Video! See what you get when you combine dedicated parents, radical change in our schools, and a remix of the Beatles' "Revolution." Enjoy:
On July 1st, parents from throughout Los Angeles are going to the first LAUSD School Board meeting of their new term. We will announce two things. First, that over half the parents of the Venice and East LA communities have signed our petition demanding change. And we will tell them in no uncertain terms that parents- from Venice, East LA, and everywhere else- will not and cannot wait another moment for LAUSD to fix our schools. We will demand great schools NOW- rooted in whats best for our children (not bureaucrats or special interests)- or we will take our children and leave for new high-quality, non-profit charter schools in our neighborhood.
Come stand with us and make your voice heard. LAUSD can ignore one or two of us. But they cannot ignore hundreds of parents, standing in front of them, simply asking for the best for their children. You can RSVP by clicking here.
What: Tell the School board: Fix our schools now!
When: Wednesday, July 1st, 9am
Where: LAUSD Headquarters- 333 S Beaudry Ave, Los Angeles CA 90017
The latest round of budget cuts are horrendous, and we stand with the parents and teachers who have been bravely speaking out against them. Eliminating summer school, full day kindergarten, and arts and music programs will irreparably harm our schools. It is important to remember, however, that we all know that our schools have been broken since long before this round of budget cuts. 50% of students weren't graduating high school before the budget cuts. Only 11% were making it to college before the budget cuts. Our school system has a systemic, constant problem- it just isn't designed to serve children. We are demanding serious, common-sense reforms for our schools and our children.
