We Depend on You - BATs Fall Fundraiser

10/10/16-11/13/16

On Monday, October 3, 2016, The Badass Teachers Association Executive Director Marla Kilfoyle spoke to a packed house of education students at Adelphi University. Marla was chosen to be the Memorial Finklestein Lecturer for her work in BATs. She was able to explain clearly to the students the attack on public education and its ramifications to social justice in this country.

 In 2015 the BATs Quality of Work Life Team teamed up with AFT Research that launched a groundbreaking survey of America’s teachers. The survey results were stunning and documented in an article, The Disproportionate Stress Plaguing American Teachers, this past week in The Atlantic. The work of our QWL team made it into Title II of the new federal education law known as ESSA. Under Title II SEC. 2103 (N) local use of funds can be used to develop feedback mechanisms to improve school working conditions, including through periodically and publicly reporting results of educator support and working conditions feedback.

 In July of 2014 BATs held a massive demonstration in front of the USDOE. We stayed the entire day and teachers, students, and parents from across the nation joined in this demonstration. The day ended with a meeting in the USDOE with Arne Duncan. At that meeting, we were able to openly tell Sec. Duncan that the policies he was pushing were wrong and destroying our public school system. 

Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. Executive Director of BATs and NJ BAT, in November of 2013 traveled alone to ask N.J. Gov. Chris Christie why he called N.J. schools failure factories. When Melissa asked him that question, Christie spun around and unleashed a bullying tirade towards Melissa that landed her on national T.V. Melissa spoke out strongly about the bullying and demonization of America’s teachers.

As you can see from the small sample above, each year we fight for the rights of our children, our families, our public schools, our communities, and teachers. Without donations like yours, BATs would not be allowed to hold our yearly event, which educates thousands about the attack on public education and social justice. Without donations like yours, BATs would not be able to continue the work we do to expose the assault on public education and the attack on our communities from the wealthy elite. We are hoping to raise $7000 for our summer event. The BAT event this summer will be in Seattle, and we will have more information coming in March of 2017. A financial gift from you will be a big help in reaching our goal. There are a few levels of giving. Here are some examples:

Join our $10 a month club. We have many people who donate $10 a month to our organization. It helps not only fund our yearly event but allows us to fund our national union caucuses, student book scholarship, run media ads that counter the corporate reform rhetoric, and so much more. A monthly donation will get your name on our parade and protest banner.

You can make a one-time donation to help us raise money for our yearly event. Donations during our Fall Fundraiser will get YOUR name added to our program as a donor, NO MATTER the amount.

You can make a donation at our website badassteacher.org (use our Paypal button) or you can send a check made out to The Badass Teachers Association, Inc. P.O. Box 1390, Bellmore, N.Y. 11710. Donations are NOT tax deductible as BATs is a 501c4.

The work that we do, and have done in BATs, has changed the narrative and landscape in the fight to save public education from corporate assault. We speak out against the false rhetoric that our schools are failing, that our children are failures, and that our teachers are to blame! We speak out against politicians who are bought off by corporate money and who seek to please their campaign donors by closing our public schools and waging war on public school teachers. Together we are winning this battle, but we cannot do it without your help.

Thank you so much for your support.

The BATs Board of Directors