AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Dream and Promise Act of 2019

For Immediate Release
March 12, 2019

Contact:
Oriana Korin
202-374-6103
okorin@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Dream and Promise Act of 2019

WASHINGTON— AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement today in support of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6):

“ ‘Dreamers’ are educators, nurses, university professors and students, and they help bring our classrooms and our communities to life. This vital bill provides permanent safety for them and for those with temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure status. These are lifelines for hardworking immigrants who strengthen our economy and proudly call the United States their home. 

“President Trump has built his entire immigration policy on fear and division. It is cruel that he insists on using Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and their status in this country as pawns to build support for his senseless wall. That’s why most Americans don’t support it. 

“Thankfully, Congress has stepped in to protect Dreamers from being pawns in the Trump administration’s ongoing political war. With this bill, we help tell our immigrant brothers and sisters: You are no longer invisible, and you are safe here.”

AFT on Trump’s Budget Proposal

For Immediate Release
March 11, 2019

Contact:
Marcus Mrowka
202-531-0689
mmrowka@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT on Trump’s Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Trump administration’s budget proposal:

“This budget doesn’t fund the future; it does quite the opposite, forfeiting children by yet again cutting the education budget while safeguarding the tax cuts given to the wealthy last year. President Trump and Secretary DeVos have made a choice with this budget—enriching those who are rich and who don’t want for anything, on the backs of our children. Even their so-called priorities, career and technical education and child care, aren’t funded in a meaningful way. By eliminating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, they are sending a message that public service doesn’t matter. Tell that to the communities that went through hurricanes and fires and want their children to succeed. How could millionaires like DeVos and Trump contemplate saddling students with even more than the $1.5 trillion dollars of student debt they already have? Public Service Loan Forgiveness should be expanded, not slashed, and we should be ensuring those who qualify can get the relief they need. And their callous cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will make seniors and families sicker and poorer.

“Rather than increase funding for kids with special needs or for those who live below the poverty line in both rural and urban America, or addressing the issues raised in their own safety report, DeVos once again seeks to divert funding for private purposes in the name of ‘choice.’ However, if they listened to parents, they would hear that, overwhelmingly, parents want well-funded public schools as their choice. By assaulting public education again, Trump and DeVos are defying the will of parents, educators and the American people who continue to march, rally and even strike to secure the investment our children and their public schools desperately need.

“While the administration abandons children and families, I’m in Texas today with thousands of educators, parents and students demanding an end to this scarcity agenda that
defunds our public schools in favor of private alternatives and more tax cuts for the rich. It’s time to fund our future, and this movement will not rest until we get the investment in what our children, all children, need—so they cannot simply dream their dreams but achieve them.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2019

Contact:
Sarah Hager
803-493-5180
shager@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act

WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the passage of H.R. 1, a bill to restore voting rights, limit the power of campaign finance and strengthen ethics laws:

“More than 50 years ago, the Voting Rights Act was passed to try to ensure that people have the right to vote and that every vote counts. Unfortunately, we have seen a huge erosion of that sacrosanct principle, with increased gerrymandering and voter suppression. But because voters came out to the polls in historic numbers last November and elected a new Congress, we are now one step closer to ensuring a voice at democracy’s table with the passage of H.R. 1.

“This bill is one huge step toward restoring the power in our democracy to the people—not money or special interest groups—and toward guaranteeing that a teacher in Montgomery, Ala., has the same voice in our political system as a CEO on Wall Street. We hope the U.S. Senate follows suit and passes similar legislation.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Child Care for Working Families Act

For Immediate Release
February 26, 2019

Contact:
Oriana Korin
202-374-6103
okorin@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT President Randi Weingarten on the Child Care for Working Families Act

WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the introduction of the Child Care for Working Families Act in Congress today:

“Funding in our future starts with early childhood education and care. Today, in 33 states, it costs more to send a child to a child care program than it does to send a child to an in-state public college. Far too many working families are spending their entire paychecks, or close to it, on child care.

“The Child Care for Working Families Act responds directly to this need with public investments in early education to make it a more affordable reality. It expands preschool programs so that every kid in this country has a shot at success before setting foot in kindergarten, and it creates a stronger career path for early childhood educators. I thank Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) for recognizing that educating and caring for our kids starts at birth.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten in Support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act

For Immediate Release
February 27, 2019

Contact:
Sarah Hager
803-493-5180
shager@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT President Randi Weingarten in Support of H.R. 1, the For the People Act

WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on H.R. 1, a bill to restore the rights of working people, limit the power of the corrupt, and expand voting rights:

“Since our country’s inception, Americans have worked hard for the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which was imbedded in the Declaration of Independence and enabled in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. And while we have had dark stains—like slavery and lynchings of African-Americans, the internment and detention of Japanese-Americans, and the lack of the vote for women until 1920—our fight for justice and voice, and a better life for all, has been the precept of our democracy.

“Unfortunately, this view that our democracy is fundamental to all of us has frayed in the last few years, as we have seen the erosion of voting rights, the influence of big money in campaigns, and the loosening or ignoring of ethics rules and conduct.

“That is why H.R.1 is absolutely essential. It ensures the soul of our democracy is intact. The legislation addresses the very real threats to our democracy by strengthening the government’s ethics laws, putting important restrictions on campaign finance regulations, and expanding voting rights so all Americans can have a voice at the ballot box. Last November, the American people voted for a check on Donald Trump’s agenda. And with this bill, the leaders they elected to protect our democratic institutions are doing the job they were elected to do.”

AFT President Randi Weingarten on Education Department’s Tax Credit Scholarship Proposal

For Immediate Release
February 28, 2019

Contact:
Oriana Korin
202-374-6103
okorin@aft.org
www.aft.org

AFT President Randi Weingarten on Education Department’s Tax Credit Scholarship Proposal

WASHINGTON—In response to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ announcement of a federal tax credit scholarship proposal, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement:

“Parents, communities and educators want to fund our kids’ futures. They want investment in the services that make a difference in people’s lives, especially our public schools. That’s why we’ve seen unprecedented support for teacher walkouts over the last year, and four bills in Congress in the last few weeks alone that increase funding for school infrastructure, reduce class sizes, expand early childhood education and make classrooms safer.

“And then there’s our secretary of education, who seems only to want to fund the futures of some kids—as long as they opt out of public schools. Betsy DeVos has a long history of attempting to cut funding for public schools: trying to eliminate all summer and after-school programs in President Trump’s first budget while attempting to divert Title I and special education funding to vouchers; trying to get these same tax credits into the Trump tax cut for the wealthy; and now, peddling yet another tax credit for rich people instead of investing in our country’s public schools, which 90 percent of students attend.

“Betsy DeVos has made no secret of her antipathy for public schools and her embrace of private education. She has a right as a private citizen to advocate for a system that creates winners and losers; but as secretary of education, she has one job: to help all of our students access the best education.”

REVIEW & COMMENT - Board Policy 3.36 - Academic Programs

TO:

Inter Faculty Organization
Minnesota State College Faculty
Minnesota State University Association of

     Administrative and Service Faculty
LeadMN - Minnesota State College Student Association
Students United - Minnesota State University Student Association

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Middle Management Association

Colleagues,

There is one board policy available for review and comment.  The policy is located on the P&P review site at https://mnscu.sharepoint.com/sites/policy/SitePages/Reviews.aspx.  Please log in using your [StarID]@minnstate.edu and your regular password. Please share this correspondence with your leadership members, constituents, and other appropriate personnel for review and comment.  

• Policy 3.36 – Academic Programs

Any questions regarding this policy, or how to leave a comment can be referred to Gary Hunter at gary.hunter@minnstate.edu or 651-201-1659.

Responses are requested by Monday, April 1, 2019.

NOTE: The System Office P&P Review site may be duplicated for your college or university.   If interested in creating your own P&P Review site for your local policies and procedures, submit a ticket through the Cherwell Portal at https://servicedesk.minnstate.edu/CherwellPortal/MNSO?_=242ab6f2#0 requesting your own instance of the P&P Review site.