Save Our Schools has put out this announcement: Dear Friends of Public Education,
Thank you for your support of Save Our Schools! We had a fabulous turnout at Whittier School last week - 250 people showed up to show their support for public education! There will be a Save Our Schools web site (www.sosmn.org) up and running on Monday February 10th! And early next week we will be contacting you with a more detailed update and a plan for ensuring our voices are heard at the State Capitol during this legislative session. However, I writing now because the budget debate at the State Capitol these past two days has implications that are too serious to ignore. The legislature and the governor are unable to agree on how to resolve the current $356 million short-term deficit and the Governor stated that immediate cuts will be made as early as tomorrow morning if an agreement is not reached. According to the StarTribune, these cuts may be in compensatory aid or other education programs. Cuts in compensatory aid would be felt all over the state but Minneapolis and St. Paul would be the most affected as we have the largest number of disadvantaged children. If this were to happen, David Jennings, the Minneapolis School District Chief Financial Officer, has been quoted in the press as saying this would be catastrophic. Public education is the foundation of a thriving democracy and efforts to undermine must be stopped. While threats of education-related cuts may merely reflect public posturing by politicians, the realization of such cuts would seriously damage our children's education. Below are the phone numbers of key players in these budget negotiations. Please call them and respectfully tell them how much you disagree with using our children this way: Governor Tim Pawlenty (651) 296-3391 Commissioner of Finance, Dan McElroy (651) 296-5900 Senate Majority Leader John Hottinger (651) 296-6153 Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum (651) 296-2273 Thank you for your concern for our children! Ellen Young, Chair of the Minneapolis Committee Sent by Jeanne Massey, Kingfield > >TEMPORARY REMINDER: >1. Send all posts in plain-text format. >2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. > >________________________________ > >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
