Today we are turning to the public sphere – social media – to agitate our legislators for education justice. We refuse to accept the myth of scarcity and know that there is #Enough4AllPA children. Let’s first ground ourselves, and then act together for education equity.
A FAITH REFLECTION
What Is Good? He has told you, “O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NRSV)
In a single sentence the prophet Micah sums up what it means to be “good.” The problems of Jerusalem that Micah described are not unlike the problems of inequity that we face today. Micah didn’t just “call out” injustice in Israel – in one sentence he tells us what the solution is, and what action we can take in response to the wickedness of the day.
Micah kept the solution simple; in communion with God, we should do what is just, love kindness and walk humbly. Cornel West said it this way: “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” When we act in love, we create justice for all, whether it’s in our personal relationships or public demonstrations. When we act in love, God’s light and love shines through each of us, and that is good! (Thank you, Rev. Richelle Foreman Gunter, for this faith reflection!)
OUR ACTION FOR TODAY: THIS IS SOCIAL MEDIA ACTION DAY!! POST / TWEET / ETC.
Send a TWEET and post to your social media platforms in support of the full use of the Fair Funding Formula for Basic Education Funding. We need our targets to work together to end BASIC EDUCATION FUNDING RACIAL INEQUITY: Governor Tom Wolf, President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, and Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler.
CONTACT LINKS
Use these three Twitter handles: @GovernorTomWolf; @JakeCorman; @RepBryanCutler. You can also look up your legislator here to find out if they have a Twitter account: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/index.cfm
EXAMPLES
Sample tweets: Be sure to tag @powerinterfaith, and if your legislator has a Twitter account, use their handle as well as @GovernorTomWolf; @JakeCorman; and @repbryancutler. Finish all statements with #Enough4AllPA.
“I stand with @powerinterfaith in demanding fair & equitable education funding for ALL PA’s school districts. Let’s work together to pass @GovernorTomWolf’s 2021 budget that includes full use of the Basic Education Funding Fair Funding Formula! #Enough4AllPA”
“Support @GovernorTomWolf’s 2021 budget, placing all of our students first and putting ALL PA state education funds through the fair funding formula. Vote to approve Gov. Wolf’s 2021 budget! #Enough4AllPA”
Sample Facebook post:
“Today is an opportunity to get better, don’t waste it!” (Anonymous). The opportunity to get better is found in approving Governor Wolf’s 2021 budget. It provides more educational funding at a time when the pandemic has set back the pace needed for students to be prepared to face the challenges of their future. This education budget also levels the playing field as it permits the distribution of 100% of state funds for schools through the Fair Funding Formula, working to eliminate the existing racial bias. PA has had the most inequitable public school funding in the nation when comparing the wealthiest districts to the least wealthy districts. Our current state education funding system is both racially and economically biased:
- For school districts of similar poverty levels, whiter districts almost always receive higher funding than less white districts. This pattern holds across all levels of wealth.
- Pennsylvania has a funding formula, unanimously agreed to by a bipartisan commission, that says how to fairly distribute state funds according to each district’s needs. Currently, approximately 10% of state funds are distributed through the formula. That will change if Governor Wolf’s 2021 Budget is approved
- In the last school year, districts serving the most Black and Hispanic students get on average $2,240 per student less than their formula-based fair share, and the whitest districts get $2,234 per student more than their fair share.
RECORD YOUR ACTION ON OUR TRACKER
Lastly, please put a record of your action in our tracker on Google Forms.
Thank you for pushing yourselves and taking action today!
