Facing Mass Layoffs, NEA Members Demand Congress Act

By Cynthia McCabe

All the reports and white papers and punditry were no match for the message that Anise Anderson and Catie Poff brought to Capitol Hill this week: We are professional educators, we are getting laid off, and we will all see students suffer as a result.

Anderson laid it bare for the media gathered at a press conference Wednesday. Without $23 billion from Congress to keep public schools running next fall, 300,000 teachers like her and support professionals will lose their jobs.

“Our students would not receive the education that they need in classrooms with sizes of 40 to 50 students, or if the school week is shortened to four days, or if special programs like music, art, physical education are cut,” Anderson said.

It was a busy day for Anderson, who met also with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus serving on the Appropriations Committee, where the Education Jobs Fund currently sits.  She helped NEA lobbyists brief the caucus on the day’s Speak Up for Education & Kids campaign kick-off, which at that moment was jamming Capitol switchboards and filling up online forums like Facebook as public education supporters around the country called Congress to tell them they wouldn’t suffer mass layoffs lightly.

She spoke about the local economy and budget and how she was let go — putting a face on why Congress needs to act. And Anderson got action. The caucus committed to being more vocal and supportive of Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) who is championing the Education Jobs Fund in the House. Markup of the bill is expected to begin after Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess next month.

Joining Anderson in Washington for the day was Poff, a reading specialist in a rural school district outside of Lexington, KY.

“I feel as though I’ve done my part this year and have seen the students that I work with grow and learn so much n the time that I was with them,” said Poff. “But sadly I probably won’t be there next year to help students who need my assistance just as much.”

With their work done for the day, Anderson sunk back into the seat of a cab late yesterday afternoon and reflected on a whirlwind 24 hours in Washington, fighting for her students and those in classrooms from Washington to Maine. She’d already fielded six calls that afternoon from friends and relatives back in Georgia and in Illinois who’d seen footage of her on the news and were proud.

For just a minute, she admitted that she too felt proud that she was speaking up for children.

All photos © 2010 Photo by Patrick G. Ryan/NEA.  Courtesy of the National Education Association.  All Rights Reserved.

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