Georgia Students Fight To Keep HOPE Alive

In an action initiated by Georgia Students for Public Higher Education, 250 college and high school students marched to the capital steps to demand a halt to Governor Deal's purposed cuts to the HOPE scholarship and pre-k programs funded by the Georgia lottery.

Students held banners that read, "Don't Defund Our Future", "Keep HOPE Alive", "Students Are Not ATMS", among others.

After the rally students stormed the capitol. After being told they could not hold signs or chant they proceeded to mark their messages on their bodies using sharpies, they stood their ground. Students attended the higher education Senate hearing on HOP/Pre-k hearing later in the day, many of them spoke to their concerns. At one point a dozen cops attempted to walk out several of the students at which point Senator Vincent Fort hoped up and told police that if they were arresting anybody then they should start with him.

Deals cuts include:

Deal’s cuts include the following:

• Students earning at least a 3.0 will see the HOPE scholarship cover 90 percent of current fiscal year 2011 tuition rates.
• Students with at least a 3.7 GPA and 1200 SAT or 26 on ACT will get full tuition at public colleges and $4,000 to private colleges (this will be called the “Zell Miller Scholarship”). Students will need to maintain a 3.5 to keep the scholarship.
• Ties future scholarship amounts to lottery revenue, not tuition rates.
• Cuts private college award from $4,000 to $3,600.
• Eliminates money for books or mandatory fees.
• Caps payout to 127 hours for HOPE scholarship and 63 semesters for the HOPE grant. Students will a post-secondary degree will be ineligible for the technical grant.
• Requires high school students to take “rigorous” classes to qualify for HOPE. This will begin this fall with incoming high school freshmen.
• A decrease from six to four hours pre-k days

It's pretty clear that these cuts will hurt low income families more than anyone. We are already being flooded with calls from parents that know their children will be priced out of a college education. It seem the only ones that are understanding of the cuts are those that can find a way to pay for the price increase.

When your choice is food/heat or an education harsh realities begin to set in.


Our society seems to have no problem over spending when it comes to the systems of violence and oppression that create the largest tax burdens we face, and produce bleak outcomes for our future. 59% of our federal budget goes to the military industrial complex and on a state level the mass incarceration of non-violent drug offenders has placed tax payers in a position where we spend a significant amount more on each prisoner then we do each student. This despite the fact that the treatment of addiction has overwhelmingly been proven cheaper and much more effective.

What I keep reading in the mainstream press, and even hearing on the street, is that there doesn't seem to be any other option. Governor Deal has attempted to paint himself as the savior of HOPE. Pricing out poor folks isn't the only option. I've heard several ideas pitched to save hope. I personally have pitched ideas to Georgia legislators, Jason Carter has put out alternative ideas. Some of the better ones I've heard are:

• A $1. tax on cigarettes to education
• Decriminalization of Marijuana
  
• Wider use of the drug court system with DOC savings going to HOPE/Pre-k
• A 1% tax increase on the richest 5%
• An end to corporate tax breaks and welfare

There are more ideas out there, most of them are better then Governor Deal's proposal which I can sum up pretty quickly: Let the poor suffer the consequences of the rich.

Young people did not cause this crisis, they should not have to pay for it.

High school students are planning their own press convergence at the capitol this Monday at 4:30pm, spread the word!

Some of the press coverage from today's action:

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/students-protest-hope-cuts-858190.html

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/Students-to-Protest-Cuts-in-HOPE-Scholarship-20110302-am-sd

http://www.gpb.org/news/2011/03/02/students-protest-hope-cuts

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/27049289/detail.html

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=180355&catid=3

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/27053750/detail.html

http://www.macon.com/2011/03/02/1471254/students-rally-at-capitol-to-protest.html

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/27049289/detail.html



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Marching for Public Education on King Day!

For the past five Years American Friends Service Committee staffers and volunteers have worked with the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition and other groups to build a strong social justice contingent to the annual King day Parade.

This year we decided to congregate at the same corner, but to try something new. We wanted to step out from our usual position in the social justice contingent, which has always been the caboose of the parade. Instead we wanted focus our message on defending the public education system in Georgia, which is in severe crisis. So we teamed up with several members of Georgia Students for Public Higher Education(GSPHE), and Student Career Alternatives Program(SCAP) to create a small but lively block in the Parade. Though small, I would say we got as much attention as any other block. Our crew consisted of elementary, high school, and college students, along with a few others.

We basically just wedged ourselves into the parade right behind Martin Luther King Jr. High School. The GSPHE folks had a pretty rad banner that said, "Tuition is To Damn High". They got got tons of, "hell yeah's", "Amen's", "Damn straight's", and general nods of approval. We also had two very enthusiastic elementary school students who passed out hundreds of AFSC's, "One Minute For Peace" fold outs, which highlight the federal economic crisis of priorities.

Our message was clear, that public education is under attack, and that we're all obligated to protect that which most believe is a basic human right. Children are perhaps our most precious natural resource, they represent our hopes and dreams, they are literally our future. Can we afford to defund their education. There have been legitimate solutions to Georgia budget issues that have not included radical education budget cuts, like a cigarette tax and a tax increase on folks that make over $400,000. It seems these have been cast aside in favor of defunding our future. The real crisis is in our law makers priorities and policy.


Photos by Al Viola and Edric Figueroa


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee
tfranzen@afsc.org

Georgia Students Prepare To Resist!

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of participating in the Georgia Students For Public Higher Education's(GSPHE) winter conference in Athens. It was a great excuse to bust out our shuttle bus, get a crew and drive to Athens.

When we showed up it was clear that this Athens crew had it together. In a short period of time they not only put together the conference, which included speakers from around the globe, but they were able to pack the room full of people. I must also mention that the food situation was pretty amazing, hats off to my old pal Kelsea Norris for whipping up all that deliciousness!

I was tasked with facilitating a one hour movement building workshop that had a focus on base building, legislative work, and media. It was a challenge packing what could be a conference of its own into 60 minutes but I managed not to be long winded guy. No one booed me out of the room so folks were either being polite, or I did a satisfactory job.

I was really impressed with the next session which brought folks from around the world, through skype, into the room with us to share their analysis and organizing experience. It's that type of global connection that we need now. In this global economy I think it's safe to say that we can no longer wait for the leaders of our individual nations to represent us, to usher in the change the world needs. We can't wait for our leaders to lead. We must build movements to big for borders and force our leaders to follow us, or be left behind.

The GSPHE crew seem to get it. Their conference program was a reflection of the connections they've identified between systems of violence and oppression. GSPHE has panelist from the Georgia Dreamers, they made clear statements of support for the Georgia prison strike, were clearly in solidarity with university workers, and they pointed out the crisis of priority in military spending.

GSPHE, along with the rest of our great state faces an uphill battle this legislative session. We know that k-12 budgets can afford to lose another penny, but it already seems that the new Governor hope to cut even more from an already broken system. University students are facing an even greater tuition and fee hike, and the wildly popular HOPE scholarship even appears to be on the chopping block. GSPHE seemed to have some potential solutions that make a lot more sense then relegating children to ATMS, or pounding the final nails into our public k-12 schools.
I for one am exciting to see what GSPHE develops in the coming months, we need them no more then ever.

To learn more or get involved with GSPHE please visit:
www.georgiastudents.org


Photos by Caitie Elle & Dawn Gibson


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee
tfranzen@afsc.org

Georgia House and Senate Receive Failing Grade

Months ago a national call went out to mobilize in every city across the Country in defense of public education. The Georgia Students for Public Higher Education(http://gsphe.tk/ ) answered the call and began organizing actions around the state. Around the same time the AFSC and Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition sponsored, "Be The Change" youth convergence participants chose to mobilize around education as well.

With 4 billion rerouted from k-12 schools, and dramatic increases in fees and tuition for public university students, youth are literally fighting for their future, a future that if unchecked will see public education become unaffordable, even non-existent.

Students from Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Kennesaw, and Milledgeville have all been organizing actions in defense of public education.
In Atlanta students worked hard to create a report card to present to the Georgia House and Senate. Sadly the students were forced to give the state failing grades in all subjects. But not all hope is lost for Georgia! The state has been given a grace period to bring their grades up to passing during the next legislative session and we're all hoping that they're up for the challenge.

Students made it clear that this is a fight that has just begun. We are sure to face more budget cuts and bad legislation if we don't turn up the volume. It has been said that we are facing a crisis of resources but many see through that claim. The invisible hand of the market did not magically make all those resources disappear. It's a time to start asking questions. When the government asks for money to build new weapons, fight new wars, or erect new prisons it always rains cash as if there was an endless supply, yet when hard times hit education is the first thing to take a cut. The economic cost of war in truly coming home to roost in a way that everyday people are feeling. We are not in a crisis of resources, it's a crisis of priorities, and only a real re-prioritizing of our national budget is going to save our future. Like it or not, another world is happening, and we must work together to ensure that it's a shared vision that places priority on the things that matter most to everyday people.





Organizations that helped mobilize folks for the Atlanta demonstration:

Georgia Students For Public Higher Education
http://gsphe.tk/

Georgia Latino Alliance For Human Rights
http://www.glahr.org/

Georgia Peace & Justice Coalition:
www.georgiapeace.org

Student Career Alternatives Program
www.scapatl.org

Progressive Student Alliance at Georgia State
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44855426564


Other Media Stories on the action:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/higher-education-rally-held-in-atlanta-100710





Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Research Session Lays the Groundwork for Education Campaign

This Saturday the "Be the Change" Youth Education Campaign hosted a research session at the UGA library in Athens, GA to gain research skills and put together some solid facts for use in upcoming events, particularly the National Day of Action in Defense of Public Education on October 7th. We have been working in partnership with the Georgia Students for Public Higher Education to spread awareness about the value of public education and to fight the budget cuts that have threatened it.

We had about 10 folks--from Athens, Atlanta, and Statesboro--gathered with a librarian who walked us through some of the most useful websites and resources to get information on Georgia's education system and budget. She even made us a handy website, so we could share the most important sites with those who couldn't attend:

Research Guide on Georgia's Education Spending

After some initial direction, we decided we should aim to put together two items by the end of the session: a fact sheet on higher education and a fact sheet on the K-12 system in GA. The overall goal of understanding the education crisis proved to be pretty daunting, with different pieces of information spread all over the place. However, we learned a lot and made significant progress on our fact sheets.

For example, did you know...

...that during fiscal year 2011, the amount that GA is spending per student on K-12 education will drop to its lowest level in a decade?
...that in every county in GA, the K-12 system is one of the top 10 employers (and that in 27 counties, public post-secondary institutions are one of the top 10 employers as well)?
...that in 2009 Georgia State President Mark Becker made $325,000 and that a security guard at Georgia State makes $25,305 per year?

Thanks to everyone who came out to the research session and the potluck and poster-making session afterward. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are looking for help! Please email me at erica.scap@gmail.com if you'd like access to our fact sheet material as it still needs some additions and clarification. As always, please visit GSPHE or "Be the Change" to get more involved in the fight for education as a human right in Georgia!

Special thanks: Librarian Amber Prentiss for a wonderful research guide, Liz Kinnamon for photos, and the Presbyterian Student Center for hosting our potluck.

Stay tuned for more as we approach October 7th!!

Erica Schoon
American Friends Service Committee-Atlanta

SCAP Highlights Links Between Economic Crash and War

Student Career Alternatives Program (SCAP) was invited to participate in a panel alongside The Movement to End Israeli Apartheid, and the War Resisters League entitled, "How the Anti-War Movement is Pro-Education". The panel was part of Georgia Students for Higher Education's summer conference.

SCAP, a project of the American Friends Service Committee, has long viewed the bloated war budget as a robbery from our communities. We don't see our national budget as some sort of shopping list but rather a list of national priorities. It is through this lense that we view our current national priorities with great alarm. This year our federal government will spend more than 50% of it’s budget on the military industrial complex while only spending 4% on education.

One paradox is that as we drain programs of social uplift, like education, and siphon more and more tax dollars from our communities into the war industry, we create pipelines from low and middle income communities into the military and prisons. We only wish this was speculative, there's plenty of data that backs up this sad reality we live in today.
School to prison pipeline:
http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/school-prison-pipeline-talking-points
The poverty draft:
http://www.notyoursoldier.org/section.php?id=3

During this economic crisis it's important that we begin to view the dollars and lives (of young recruits) that are taken from our communities to pay for these wars for what they are, a robbery from our society. Our national priorities should be educating our youth, healing our sick, feeding the hungry, and housing the homeless (many of whom are combat vets, still suffering the wounds of war).

SCAP was honored to be invited to present on the panel and looks forward to helping GSPHE build their October 7th statewide action.

Important Links:

SCAP:
www.scapatl.org

GSPHE:
http://gsphe.tk/
Photography by Caitie Leary

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Georgia Students for Public Higher Education Summer Conference: Day One

* Photo's by Sofia Lipko and Caite Leary

Many of you already know that youth participants at this year’s, "Be The Change" youth convergence made the decision to focus on building a statewide campaign to address the attack on public education. Having members of Georgia Students for Public Higher Education (GSPHE) at "Be The Change" certainly played no small part in the decision to focus on the current defunding of public education. We also recognize that the public education system (K-12 & Higher Ed) has serious systemic problems that have needed to be addressed for years.


So it made sense from the get go for our efforts to be in step with GSPHE's, and what better way to make friends with them then by supporting their summer conference? We were able to help outreach, present at, participate, and help fund their conference.

GSPHE organizers welcomed be the changers with open arms, and even gave us plenary time on Sunday for us to have our report back, which will be expounded upon in a later blog post.

We were especially impressed with the program GSPHE had put together. On the first day of the conference workshop facilitators included folks from Jobs With Justice, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, Atlanta Public Sector Alliance, Metro Atlantan's for Public Education, and several anti-war groups.

During the afternoon strategy session, which was facilitated by members of GSPHE, attendees decided that October 7th would be a day of statewide action in support of re-prioritizing education in Georgia. The hope was to link not only with those mobilizing folks all over the country around public education, but to also link with folks resisting the war in Afghanistan(Oct 7th is the 9th anniversary of war in Afghanistan), and those fighting for immigration reform.

Food was prepared by the local Food Not Bombs group, food was amazing! There was a party at the big house which provided everyone the opportunity to connect on a more casual level.

Important links relating to this post:

GSPHE:
http://gsphe.tk/

Be The Change:
www.gpjc.org



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee