BADASS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

STATEMENT ON YORK (PA) SCHOOLS

As an organization of 53,000 members committed to the preservation of Public Education, the Badass Teachers Association expresses its solidarity with and support for the students, parents, teachers and taxpayers of York, Pennsylvania, who have had control of their public school district stolen from them by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

We believe that it is wholly wrong for the lame duck Corbett administration - whose education policies voters rejected in the last election – to engage in a last minute power grab to circumvent the school board and violate one of the primary tenants of democracy, local control of public schools. All Americans should be deeply concerned with this blatant violation of democratic practice.

We, therefore, join the NAACP, the Pennsylvania State Education Association in the growing chorus of millions across the country alarmed by a school recovery plan that ignores the serious under

funding of the York City Schools at the hands of the outgoing Corbett administration. Granting control of a financially strapped school district to a corrupt charter school operator is a recipe for failure and student exploitation.This will likely result in the increase of administrative costs and profits while lowering funds spent on student services.

The failure of York County Courts to heed Governor-elect Tom Wolf’s call to halt this action is a final insult to the citizens of Pennsylvania. BATS supports the appeal process and hopes it will remain unresolved by Jan. 20 when Wolf takes office and can make the logical decision to give back control of York City Schools to the taxpayers to create a recovery plan that will best serve the students, teachers and community of York.

Please sign this petition to help York PA http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/citizens-against-privatizing-public-schools