BATs Weekly Roundup – Week of May 12^th

By:  Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager, BATs

BATs started the week off calling out House Democrats and House Republicans for pushing through HB10 which would give charters more funding.  Tuesday was not only an amazing day for BATs but we celebrated the victory of Ras Baraka as Mayor of Newark.  His victory in Newark was a victory for the 99% in this nation.  Mayor Baraka’s opponent was funded by Wall St. Hedge Funders to the tune of $3 Million.  Mayor Baraka’s campaign showed that the voice of the people is much more powerful than money.  BATs were honored to help Baraka’s campaign on social media via twitter and Facebook.  We look forward to his continued work in Newark.  BATs were happy that Tiffani Eaton, the petite school teacher who tried to break up a vicious fight in her classroom by hitting one of the fighting students with a broom, got her job back!  Congratulations Tiffani! Your courage in trying to protect other children and end a vicious assault was admirable!  On Wednesday, BATs appeared on our favorite radio program Just Let Me Teach on Indiana Talks.  Here is the website and the podcast should be archived soon http://www.indianatalks.com/  .     On Thursday, Mark Naison appeared with Leonie Haimson on another huge favorite of BATs,  Education Town Hall! It was a great show! Here it is http://educationtownhall.org/2014/05/15/beyond-inbloom-with-class-size-matters-and-bad-ass-teachers/   Mark Naison released the second of his EduNews programs.  This one was on TFA – here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PREZXh4coIo&feature=youtu.beje 

Well, TFA published a quick rebuttal to Mark’s claims here  http://www.teachforamerica.org/tfa-on-the-record/responses/may-15-2014-brooklyn-accent-blog?app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%2246940_1400177552_89389196%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22twitter%22%7D

As usual, they have no backing for any of the research they throw out about their organization.  As is par for the course, BATs made sure we tweeted and posted “peer reviewed” research about how their organization is hurting public education and specifically our inner city schools.  On Saturday, BATs will be participating and speaking at the Take Back our Schools Rally.  Co –Founder Mark Naison will be rapping his new song The Charter School Hustle, Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager of BATs will be speaking on the Parent –School connection in fighting corporate ed. reform, and Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. GM of BATs will be speaking on how to confront your politicians.  BATs also will be launching their Go Fund Me fundraiser for the DC March this Sunday.  This fundraiser will help pay for the Conference room at the Holiday Inn, Food, and Materials for our Leadership Academy and BAT Social.  It will also help pay for the generator at the March, speaker subsidies, and craft items for our children.  Any extra that will be left over will be donated to the BATs charity by membership vote.