Promoting Federal Investment in Public Education – Books Not Bombs

The recent federally mandated Dept of Education cuts will impact every school district in the nation. Though the national organizations of teachers and educators are mobilized to resist, parents lack statewide or national organizations, and rarely pay attention to Congressional funding programs. The Books not Bombs campaign is an effort to leverage the support of the NEA, AFT and AAUP, to reach out to advocacy groups – for example Progressive Dems of America, Our Revolution and Mothers Out Front chapters, and Peace Action affiliates – whose members include parents, grandparents students, and teachers.This involves recognizing and rejecting the excessive allocation of tax dollars to military programs rather than civilian needs.

This late afternoon Forum complements No Kings Day mobilizations.

Panelists:

Welcome: Prof. Jonathan King – (AAUP & Mass Peace Action Education Fund)

Congressional and State Budgets: 

• School Budget Needs – Deb McCarthy (Vice President, Massachusetts Teachers Association)
• Cuts in the Dept. of Ed. Budgets – Sarah Abernathy – (Committee for Education Funding)
• Civilian vs. Military Appropriations – Debbie Weinstein – (Coalition for Human Needs) 
• Fund Schools by Ending Foreign Wars – Merrie Najimy – (MTA Rank & file for Palestine).

Resisting Attacks on Public Education:

• Chair – Suleika Soto – (Citizens for Public Schools)
• Resisting Outside Efforts to Control Curricula – Max Page – (President, Mass Teachers Association)
• Funding Programs for the Most Vulnerable – Denisha Jones – (Defending the Early Years)
• Protecting Free Expression – Mia McIver – (Exec. Director, American Association of University Professors)

 Mobilizing for the 2026 Midterm Elections:

• Chair: Prof. Ricardo Rosa – (Mass Teachers Assn).
• The Congressional Arena – Rep. Ayanna Presley (D-MA)
• Fund Human Needs by Cutting Military Budgets – Ben Cohen – (Up in Arms Campaign)
• Outlook for Congressional Changes – Larry Cohen- (President, Our Revolution)
• Mobilizing for 2026 – Alan Minsky (Exec. Dir, Progressive Democrats of America)

Register to attend the virtual event

Program Committee: Jonathan King, Owen Madaus, Evan MacKay, Ricardo Rosa, Doug Selwyn, Susan Siegel, Suleika Soto.

Sponsors:  Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund; American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts; Defending the Early Years; Institute for Peoples Engagement; Massachusetts Teachers Association; Our Revolution; Progressive Democrats of America-MA; UAW Region 9A