StudentsFirst Call

Here's an email from Michelle Rhee via StudentsFirst, calling on all of us to get involved:

Hi Whitney,

New Yorkers desperately want to keep our best teachers in the classroom -- 85 percent believe teacher layoffs should be based on merit, not seniority.

But without immediate action, New Yorkers won't get what is best for their kids. The current LIFO (Last In, First Out) policy dictates that the most recently hired teachers must be the first fired, regardless of how good they are.

The time to end LIFO in New York is now. A bill to do so may come up for a vote in the State Senate as early as Tuesday, March 1, and it's imperative that legislators know how strongly constituents support this bill. Tell your senator now:

http://studentsfirst.org/NYemail 

New York is facing massive budget deficits and layoffs are inevitable. But if New York plans to push forward with meaningful education reform, we need to save great teachers -- and with your help we will. 

It'll only take a few minutes to email your senator. We'll provide you with the email address and some talking points (even a pre-drafted email if you're in a rush). Get started now:

http://studentsfirst.org/NYemail 

After you have contacted your senator, help us spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends. Let's work together to hold districts, boards of education and state legislators accountable.

Michelle

Michelle Rhee
CEO and Founder, StudentsFirst

P.S. If you want to volunteer or organize in your local area, contact Nithya Joseph by email: nithya@studentsfirst.org or phone: 202-577-8012.