Saturday, March 21, 2009

TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS


The employees of El Dorado took to the streets on Friday morning. We were out along Concord Blvd. with signs and flyers informing our community of the current education crisis at the national, state, and local levels. The honks, shouting, waving, and showing of support from our neighbors were inspiring. Many of our former students, now going to school across the street at Concord High, stopped to talk to us and ask about our cause. The students of El Dorado were lining up with us to holler at the cars. Some were even using the backs of their poster projects to make signs to hold up themselves! Thank you to all of the teachers, staff, students, and community members who made this first demonstration a success. SEE YOU ALL NEXT FRIDAY ... and every Friday until the election!!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

The start of this positive movement was possible only because we all came together! Pink slips affect us all- most importantly, the kids. Our hope is to show our community and the greater community, that it did not end on March 13th. Pink slips are on the rise. When we created our first flyer on March 18th, the California pink slip count was 26,950. Three days later, the count is 27,165. An increase of 215! At home, El Dorado, 43% of staff may have been pink slipped, but 100% of our staff and students are affected! Thank you for a great 1st demonstration and see you next Friday @ 7:30. Roy-

James Hood said...

I was so impressed with our school community. We had a great show of support. As a teacher and a parent in the district I feel like this is the time we have to stand together and fight. We have to say Enough is Enough and protect our children. They are our future and these cuts will seriously impact their education. Thank you to everyone who came, please keep coming and bringing more and more people with you each week.
Denise Hood

Anonymous said...

As we were passing through the cars handing out flyers I heard Roy giving "the numbers" to the drivers, and I started doing the same. The most common reaction to this was a look of shock. This just confirmed my suspicion that the public isn't getting the big picture of what these cuts look like in the lives of their children. HALF of their teachers...

Anonymous said...

I know that it would be hard, but if 43% of you took a day off, it would really show how much this affects your school and community as a whole. I am glad to see that the community supports you guys. As long as you have strong numbers week in and week out, then Sacramento and even MDUSD can not ignore you.

Anonymous said...

This was such a great way to start our Friday! I felt like the community is starting to get the message about how serious this issue really is. The student participation during this event was totally unexpected and I was sooo happy to see them out there cheering with us!

bedessien said...

I was so impressed with everyone who made it out and weaved in and out of traffic to pass out flyers to the people driving by. I think it spoke in volume the dedication and pride we have in our students, our schools and our community. I agree with Pelkey-I hope with last week and every week for here on out that the message gets clearer and that our community continues to be aware of how serious the issue really is.

Richard St.Ofle said...

The Concord City Council meets tonight at 6:30!
1950 Parkside Drive, Concord, CA
They open the floor for the first 15 min. and anyone that's able to go should raise this issue

Ernie Minglana said...

I plan to be as vocal as possible in bringing more awareness to our whole community about how the budget cuts are negatively affecting our students and staff at our schools. The moral has been down in recent weeks, but witnessing the coalition of teachers standing up for their peers and children truly inspires a more positive atmosphere in which everyone is expressing how much they care for the students and teachers. It is my hope that by taking it to the streets we can all make a positive difference in our schools and encourage those at the local district level and state level to reverse these cuts and save the people whom the students most need... our teachers.

Ernie Minglana said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Last Friday morning was amazing. El Dorado stood strong as we stood outside with our signs and fliers. The community was supportive by honking and waving. Everything is very uncertain these days and it's tough to be enthusiastic about teaching....but we can't give up. Vote YES to support Measure D

Anonymous said...

We started planning Friday morning earlier in the week. We didn't know what the turnout would be and what to expect. But I have to say, when I drove up to school and saw all these teachers and students generating energy from the sidewalks, my face lit up in a smile. At that moment, I was SO proud to be a teacher at El Dorado. As I joined the group, I was immediately excited to get the word out. The more people that know about the reality of the education cuts, the more likely they will to take a stand. Networking is our best option. I will be out there every week. I am one of the involuntary transfers and will not accept my fate.

Anonymous said...

It was definitely a proud moment. I felt honor to be standing next to all my colleagues fighting for a true cause.

Tessique said...

Being out there Friday was a great boost to morale. The energy that we generated in support of our school, our students and our staff was awesome.
I'm so proud to be a part of a group of people that are so dedicated, and willing to fight for what they believe in - providing good, quality education for our students.

Anonymous said...

I <3 (internet lingo for a heart, for those of you not in the know) the El Dorado Middle School staff. The way that we have banded together to fight for our community never will cease to amaze me.

I hope that the continued fight for the passage of Measure D stays strong. Our community needs this measure to be passed.

Anonymous said...

James, I'm right there with you. Being a parent as well with a student at EDMS this is big stuff. The students are so full of questions, they see us fighting for them too.
They want to be out there, they want to be heard.The coming together for the pink slip cause has created an awareness in us all, not just the pink-slip holders.

Unknown said...

The way our community has pulled together is inspiring. As one of the members of our staff who is currently unsure of my employment next year and has a husband in the same situation(for those of you that are unaware he is also a teacher at EDMS) it is a very scary time. I love my students and will continue to come to work everyday, smiling and serving my students. I hope one lesson they take away from this experience is to fight for what they believe in.
As a parent and an educator I am seriously concerned for the safety of our students next year. The amount of adults being elinminated from each site is frightening.

Anonymous said...

The solidarity demonstrated among the teachers at El Dorado has been a rallying cry - first and foremost - for justice. Every teacher, student and staff member deserve all the support the community can muster in passing the parcel tax in May. The budget cuts deny our students a quality education, and undermine the dedicated work of their educators. This penny wise, pound foolish philosophy must stop! Wholesale staff reductions, and larger class sizes are not the solution. The government needs to get its priorities straight for the future of our country, which rests with our children. Teachers are only asking for a fair shake, an opportunity to create a positive environment for their students in a school district that supports their efforts. It is vital that our community come together and pass Measure D - the parcel tax - for the health of our public school system, and for the future of our children. Tell your neighbors. Tell your friends, and please cast your vote.

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Anonymous said...

Another fantastic demonstration today! I noticed parents and even more students participating. Next week it will be even bigger. Lots of support (honking) from the community driving by.
A great way to end the week!!

Unknown said...

It was great once again to see the support of our community! I'd like to thank Sherry Whitmarsh (Board Member) for coming out and supporting us.

Kari said...

We rock!!

nancy said...

I handed out fliers to the parents dropping off their kids at Westwood. In handing the flier to them, I noted the blog. I had a few ask questions, I had a parent make a comment," that measure D is the one for elementary music and high school sports." Well, getting out there felt good and my feel is that it is causing an awareness. Good job people!

Anonymous said...

Despite all the negative posts on the Claycord blog, we need to keep it positive and keep moving forward. We still support all our actions, we still vote yes on measure D.

Unknown said...

The comments on the Claycord blog show that some people do not understand and/or are uninformed about the situation our district is in. It is one of the reasons that we need to stand strong in our efforts to educate the public. This is not about the union or district politics. It is about teachers that are forced to live in limbo - not knowing if we have a job next year or not. It is about the quality of education our students will receive and their safety.