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September 10, 2003  
We the undersigned, endorse the following petition:
Stop Education Budget Cuts. Give Kids Good Schools!
Target: US. Governors
Sponsor: Public Education Network

pen nibSIGNATURES.38,525

pen nibGOAL: 45,000

pen nibDEADLINE: Ongoing ...


Help Give Kids Good Schools Now!

Last year, a S. Carolina teacher enjoyed a 25K prize and a BMW loaner car for a year as a reward for being named the S. Carolina teacher of the year. The very next year, she lost her job!

Unfortunately, she is not the only one to be faced with job loss. Teachers across the country are being rewarded for their teaching efforts with pink slips and unemployment!

These top quality educators are being taken from our kids when they are most needed! In fact, state education budgets across the country are in danger of being cut. That means that your children could be faced with even more overcrowded classrooms, less qualified teachers, fewer after-school programs, and even a shortage of books and materials!

The current state of education is shocking:
  • On a world map, American kids could find on average only seven of 16 countries in the quiz. 11% could not even locate the U.S.A.
  • Only 41% of today's students know the three branches of government, while 59% know the names of the Three Stooges.
  • 74% can name the city where cartoon character Bart Simpson lives (Springfield). Only 12% know where Abraham Lincoln lived (Springfield, IL).
  • AND, 50% of all urban school students score below the basic reading level on national tests.
Don't let our governors cut education! Instead, we must take action to improve our schools, keep our top teachers and ensure that education remains a top priority. Send a free email to your governor! SIGN Below!
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.>MOST RECENT 25 of 38,525 SIGNATURES
Number Date Name What has your experience been with your own, or your child's education? Why do good teachers and solid public education for all kids matter?
38,525  10:01 am PDT, Sep 10 Carrie Wallace The education system since I was in school has taken away some physical education, music and art classes. I believe that children need these in order to better see what they can become.  
38,524  8:56 am PDT, Sep 10 Michelle W   The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.
38,523  8:06 am PDT, Sep 10 Anonymous    
38,522  11:59 pm PDT, Sep 9 Anonymous I am one of the lucky ones. My middle-class parents worked to put me through private school. My own children live in an area where the public schools are quite good, and I'm glad to say I am involved as a volunteer in our school district. A crowded classroom is a place where children fall through the proverbial cracks. A "burned-out" teacher is no match for the challenges facing today's young people. As a parent, I care deeply about my own children's educational opportunities. Even before becoming a parent, I realized that today's children are tomorrow's doctors, bankers, governors and senators. Who do we want in charge of our golden years? Take a look inside those classrooms. Those are your future nursing home directors.
38,521  11:42 pm PDT, Sep 9 Anonymous    
38,520  8:24 pm PDT, Sep 9 Tashia McCarty    
38,519  6:59 pm PDT, Sep 9 Frank LaRosa    
38,518  6:46 pm PDT, Sep 9 ELIZABETH VANDERPOOL    
38,517  6:18 pm PDT, Sep 9 kelly king stop home economic classes, keep extra activities, kids need something to do to stay out of trouble, give teachers more authority with discipline in the classes, and give good teachers job security they are the future leaders of this country
38,516  4:50 pm PDT, Sep 9 Anonymous    
38,515  3:47 pm PDT, Sep 9 Hope Trueblood My child is in the 4th grade this year. I know for a fact, that if he didn't have the wonderful, understanding teachers that he did in the beginning years of school, he wouldn't have the cofidence that he does now. Not everyone has the money for private schools or the resources for home school. Teachers are the building blocks in society.
38,514  11:45 am PDT, Sep 9 Debi Ivie My children go to a public school (West Side Elementary) and so far they have been blessed with wonderful, caring, qualified teachers. However, I know many teachers who have to buy supplies out of their own pockets and that is ridiculous. Teachers need higher salaries and Schools need to be funded better! Our kids are our future & teachers play such an important role in our children's future. I am all for helping our schools/teachers.
38,513  10:09 am PDT, Sep 9 Rhonda Hill   As a country and a planet, we need to remember that our children are our future. We need to leave this world in the hands of competent and capable people.
38,512  8:49 am PDT, Sep 9 Margaret Richardson   We want our children to be upright, honest citizens ... they need all the education they can absorb.
38,511  7:58 am PDT, Sep 9 Emily McAllister I had excellent teachers who cared about teaching every child in their classroom as much as they could. Dedicated teachers were coaches to our teams that taught us valuable lessons about ourselves and life. It matters because it is a building block for the future of each of those children, making them able to be productive and HAPPY citizens, and may be the only thing that keeps them from turning to crime and drugs to support themselves and just becoming another statistic.
38,510  5:57 am PDT, Sep 9 Anonymous the goverment`s duty. knowledge
38,509  12:56 am PDT, Sep 9 Audelle Keeler I LOVED MY EDUCATION I HAD ALOT OF RESORCES JUST WISH I WOULD OF USED THEM BECAUSE MY KIDS EDUCATION NEED TO BE BETTER THAN MY OWN
38,508  10:49 pm PDT, Sep 8 Carol Newman Good teachers inspire us, nurture us, teach us how to listen, to see, to think critically and creatively, open the world to us, encourage us to take risks to make our own and others' lives richer, fuller. We're all here together, sink or swim. Creative problem solving helps everyone..
38,507  8:18 pm PDT, Sep 8 Anonymous   if we don't educate our children now then we are almost giving the terorists the opportunity to attack us in the future.
38,506  5:38 pm PDT, Sep 8 cisco barton    
38,505  2:48 pm PDT, Sep 8 JANET CASSITY I had an excellent education because teachers were still highly respected, discipline was imposed in our schools and special ed children had their own facilities and teachers. Educating our youth will have a direct impact on their future as well as our own and generations to follow. To attract good teachers we need to offer good salaries and be willing to show respect for the profession.
38,504  2:00 pm PDT, Sep 8 Margaret Seals Having a disabled child; I have run into a lack of programs, a lack of funding and staff with little knowledge of what to do with her. Little has been done as far actually educating her without constant badgering on my part. I have found that most ESE classroom settings have been for the school's delinquents. Do you like your car? Do you want to keep it?
38,503  12:35 pm PDT, Sep 8 crystal pierce extra curricular activities and classes teach life long learning skills and make it so kids enjoy school and have a reason to attend, because they are involved all teachers are important to a childs development. How came we are the richest of nations, yet we cut back on the knowledge of our future generation?
38,502  12:28 pm PDT, Sep 8 Crystal Hall    
38,501  9:38 am PDT, Sep 8 Anonymous   The kids are our future leaders.

.>Stop Education Budget Cuts. Give Kids Good Schools!

Dear Governor,

I am writing to urge you to make education a priority in our state budget. In particular, providing highly qualified teachers for all students. I am very concerned about the quality of public education in our state, especially since large state budget deficits are jeopardizing education funding across the country.

We should be increasing the amount of money we spend on educating our children, not decreasing it. If cuts must be made to our public programs, I want education cut last and cut least.

I believe that the single most important thing we can do to improve education is to put a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. Research shows a clear correlation between students' achievement levels and the quality of their teachers. Attracting and keeping enough quality teachers for all children should be America's top education priority. And this priority must be reflected in our state budget.

In order to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers our state must provide the following:

  • Incentives for school districts to hire and retain qualified teachers
  • Good pay, sufficient to support a teacher and his or her family
  • Small class sizes
  • Safe, healthy and orderly school work environments
  • Opportunities for high-quality on-the-job teacher training and rich, ongoing professional development
    • The new federal law mandates that our state's public education system 'leave no child behind'. More specifically, the law requires that we have a highly qualified teacher in every classroom by the school year 2005-06. To meet that goal, we need to make funding for public education a top priority.

    Quality public education is an investment in our state's future. We must treat education as the investment that it is and fund it accordingly. I am an education voter. I will continue to watch and remember which of my elected representatives vote to cut education funding and which vote to support it and I will cast my vote accordingly.

    I look forward to reading your response on this important issue.

    Sincerely,
    The Undersigned

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