America's Future: Take Back America

This week, Congress is voting on education spending. I'm disappointed to report that the White House and majority in Congress are pushing hard to continue shortchanging our schools. And a memo leaked from the president's budget office shows deep cuts planned for nearly every education program next year.

It is time to build a movement to end the pattern of broken promises and get Washington to strengthen our public schools.

If you haven't already done so, I invite you to host a house party for our public schools on September 22, 2004. Already, many thousand teachers, parents, students, and community members have signed up, and with your help we will build the largest national mobilization for public schools ever.

The Campaign for America's Future - along with MoveOn.org, the National Education Association and more than 40 allied groups—are joining forces to sponsor these community meetings.

Despite his lip-service, President Bush is NOT taking the action needed to provide American children with first-rate education.  Washington is handing out tax breaks to millionaires while laying off teachers.  And our tax dollars are being spent on building schools in Iraq, while slashing school construction funding at home.

The facts speak for themselves:

• More American children than ever are pouring into already overcrowded schools.
• Many attend their first day of school without the preschool so vital to learning.
• America now faces the largest wave of teacher retirements in our country's history, while young teachers leave the classroom at alarming rates.
• 14 million children are home alone after school, but Afterschool programs are the first to be cut in the current budget crunch.
• College costs are soaring, and loan and grant programs are not keeping up.

The only way that great public schools will become a REAL priority in Washington is when teachers, parents, students and citizens join together to demand that rhetoric is replaced with results.

The September 22 house parties should be a fun and easy way for you to become a movement leader. As a house party host, you'll receive a free video to show at your party, and a resource kit to guide you every step of the way.  A house party will give you the opportunity to get your neighborhood working together and making a difference.

I urge you to join us in this exciting movement for change, one living room at a time.  Be sure to sign up at:

http://www.greatpublicschools.org/hostsignup

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Borosage, Co-Director
Campaign for America's Future

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