In November, voters will be asked to decide if New York will hold a convention to rewrite our state constitution. This would be a multi-million dollar waste of taxpayer money and would give special interest groups and power brokers the opportunity to change the constitution for their own interests. NYSUT President Andy Pallotta has warned that a Constitutional Convention "could spell complete disaster for New York State's public education system."
Opening up the constitution for an overhaul could derail vital rights that we have as New Yorkers, including public service pensions, environmental protections, as well as a free public education for our children. Public schools have continually been under assault by hedge fund investors who are pushing charter schools, voucher schemes, and a fast-track to teacher certification. The last time a Constitutional Convention was held, there was a proposal to repeal the Blaine Amendment that was barely defeated. This valuable provision in our constitution prohibits the use of state tax money to fund religious schools. Without this protection, public schools will be devastated by a further loss of funding. We cannot afford to let this happen. It is critical that we become informed and reach out to educate others on the need to VOTE NO on the referendum that will be on the back page of our ballot on November 7.
Learn more about the issue so that you can inform others and get out the vote. Attend the RC 10 luncheon on October 10, which will have speakers, handouts, and other resources on the topic. See this article for signup information: http://rc10.ny.aft.org/news/rc-10-fall-luncheon-focus-ny-constitutional-convention.
There are other ways you can help. Take action now at the MAC and contribute to NYSUT's campaign to spread the word about this issue: https://mac.nysut.org/donate. RC 10 will be scheduling some phone bank time to reach our fellow members with this important information, and we need your help in signing up and recruiting others. The dates for our RC 10 phone banks are listed below this article. Andy Pallotta has also asked us to sign up for at least two labor walks in cooperation with local AFL-CIO councils. Information on future opportunities will be shared on this website.
RC 10 PHONE BANKS: Plan on meeting in the lobby of NYSUT HQ in Latham at 9:55. They will most likely be providing some pizza for lunch, but feel free to bring your own lunch and/or snacks and drink. If you have any questions and have not been contacted by your host, you can email Barb McCarthy at irishiz9@aol.com.
October 19 - Host Maureen Rossley
October 23 - Host Barb McCarthy
October 25 - Host Linda Wemple
October 27 - Host Jim Stolis
October 30 - Host Bonnie Maxon
November 1 - Host Deb Escobar
November 6 - Host Bob DeMarco