BLA and BPS still need you to contact the governor. If BPS doesn’t get more $$$, BLA will lose all of our young guidance couselors who will be replaced by those with more seniority in the BPS system. Just in case you didn’t get the latest e-mail blast from http://www.bpsparents.com, here it is:
Dear BPSparent member!
We need to carry on putting pressure on the Governor! So far he hasn’t responded to our emails or requests.
The Governor spoke to a couple of our members last Thursday - here is what he said http://www.bostonherald.com/mediacenter/
He talks about the stimulus money as being in three ‘buckets’ and says he has to follow the rules for each bucket. But he only has control over one of those buckets - The State Stabilization fund - and the rules clearly say that if he has money left, he has to give it out on the basis of Title 1 shares . Boston is eligible for a lot of that money!
Please send this email to the Governor today. Call it ‘Monday’s message to the Governor’
Send it to:
Here is the text of the email to use - just copy and paste into your email message:
Dear Governor Patrick,
Last week you announced that you are running for re-election. Don’t forget that 73% of Boston voters elected you as our Governor - last time you ran.
Last week we told you that because Boston is getting $0 of the $800 million in State Stabilization Funds for education, we are losing 212 classroom teachers in September. Most are the next generation of dedicated teachers who are the foundation of the future education of Boston’s 60,000 school children.
Last week you told us to think of the stimulus money as three buckets, and that you had to follow the rules for each bucket.
You only control one of those buckets - and the rules say that once you’ve brought all school districts up to Foundation levels “ the state must award the funds to LEAs on the basis of the relative Title I shares but not subject to Title I program requirements.” More than 40,000 students, 74% of our children, are Title1 eligible. Doesn’t this rule say that Boston is eligible for some of the money?
You also told us that you were focused on doing the job, not running for office. Governor Patrick, we need you to do your job - if you want to save money for a rainy day, use political capital - not the capital that Washington sent you to save our schools.
On behalf of myself, my own family and all the children of the Boston Public Schools, I ask you to
DO THE RIGHT THING!
Sign your name
