Students and Teachers Fight Back! Stop the budget cuts to education.

By Amanda Holmes

According to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s 2011 budget proposal: Education will be cut by $1.3 billion, or 11%, devastating already underfunded school districts, forcing mass layoffs and increasing already unaffordable tuition at most community colleges and state universities. 20,000 Illinois public school employees, including 17,000 teachers, will be laid off; tuition at UIC will increase by 20%; 200,000 low-income seniors will have their medical prescription coverage slashed by 50%; 70,000 disabled people will be cut off assistance. 6,000 children will be denied childcare; Personal income tax, which affects the poorest communities the most, would be increased by a criminal 33%!

Next Saturday, April 17, ANSWER Chicago, an activist group in Chicago that seeks to end racism and stop war, will be hosting a Teach-in/Organization meeting to fight the budget cuts in education in Illinois and in Chicago.

This is an important issue for all of us. Not only should we be concerned about the quality of education in our communities but at SXU there are many teachers in training and these budget cuts will effect the quality of the education system and the job prospects for teachers-to-be.

I have attended several events that the ANSWER coalition has sponsored and they have all been helpful and I have learned a lot from participating in them.

Here's a link for students interested in promoting this event on facebook: Join Students and Teachers Fight Back! on facebook

The event has these goals in mind:

(1) A detailed educational discussion on the causes, scope and effects of the "budget crisis" in Illinois and Chicago

(2) A brainstorming and organizing session to help stop the budget cuts, layoffs, tuition hikes, racist school and clinic closures and more.
I urge the SXU community to join the group Students and Teachers Fight Back! in the struggle to stop the budget cuts, layoffs and essential service closures in Illinois. This group describes itself as “a group of students, teachers and progressive people who are taking action to stop the criminal budget cuts in Illinois. We Need Money for Jobs, Health Care, Schools, Housing and More, Not for War and Wall Street.”

Event information:
Saturday, April 17, 1 pm
3334 W. Lawrence #202
(Brown Line - Kimball Stop; 81 Bus)
Call 773-463-0311 for more info

Amanda Holmes is a senior philosophy major from Atlanta, GA. She is vice president of the Philosophy Club. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.