Moving from Information To Action

1. TEF Lessons for Members and Citizens Lesson 8 Moving from Information To Action

2. Objective: Participants will: • Explore state affiliate TEF activities, • Examine a template for starting a campaign, and • Develop a state and/or local action plan.

3. As a group can we agree that we will: • Respect and value differences of opinions and varying levels of knowledge • Be attentive

4. Question: What do the following have in common? • The weekend • The 8-hour work day • The 40-hour work week • The minimum wage • Laws prohibiting child labor

5. Answer: • All are the direct result of people organizing collectively, through a union, to establish rules and policies that address economic inequality and maintain fairness. • Are these things society sometimes takes for granted?

6. POWER

7. Why Is this Our Business? • It’s about our students. • It’s about our community. • Education represents roughly 1/3 of the state budget. • We have clout. • Educators represent a significant and sizable voting block. • Educators have power (if we choose to use it). With the Union/Association’s representative councils, we are one of the best organized groups in the United States.

8. Why THIS IS Our Business. • Teachers consistently poll as one of the most — if not the most — trusted voices within a community. • You are the best messenger. • We need to educate our colleagues, our leaders, and the general public. • Who is better equipped to do this than you?

9. What’s Happening Around the Country? http://www.voteyesfororegon.org/ • The Oregon Education Association worked to pass ballot initiatives to raise the corporate minimum tax from $10 to $150 for the first time since 1931 and raise the tax rate on household income above $250,000. Prior to the passage of this measure, more than 2/3rds of corporations doing business in Oregon paid just the $10 a year corporate minimum income tax. The vote marks the first time Oregon voters have approved a statewide tax measure since 1931. • 97.5% of Oregon taxpayers will see no tax increase, and 88% of businesseswill pay only the $150 minimum.

10. What’s Happening Around the Country? The AEA is on the offense to prevent funding erosion! The CEA has embarked on community outreach, coalition building, and a media campaign to educate the public www.believeinabettercolorado.org

11. What’s Happening Around the Country? The AEA has been conducting TEF workshops around the state to organize members around school funding. Last spring they held a march where 10,000 members and supporters showed up to rally for public school funding. www.march4schools.com

12. What’s Happening Around the Country? • Omaha (NE) Education Association: http://www.buildingbrightfutures.net/

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16. What’s Happening Around the Country? • Mississippi – the MAE has organized a growing PARENTS’ Campaign, with over 47,000 members.

18. What’s Happening Around the Country? Utah – the UEA has an ongoing campaign. Some of the UEA’s talking points: • Investing in neighborhood schools grows the economy more than an investment in any other industry. • Investing in neighborhood schools means investing in every community in Utah. • Public education provides a wealth of job opportunities in your community; jobs that provide benefits to employees and aren’t outsourced. • Real estate values are higher in areas near great public schools. • Public schools take no profit, so your investment goes back into the local economy not to corporate offices in another state. http://www.utahsfuture.org/

19. What’s Happening Around the Country? http://tefillinois.com/ The IEA has held workshops in over 100+ locals… part of their education campaign has included the “Who Pays You” video… http://tefillinois.com/2010/07/26/pay-day-101-who-pays-you

20. THINK—JOURNAL

21. 1. Thinking about the changes that are needed in your state and local to address these issues, what changes can you envision that would make the most difference in your students’ lives? What would those changes look like?

22. 2. What would you have to let go of to bring this vision into reality? What would you do to begin?

23. 3. Who are the core partners and helpers that would help you bring it into reality and that could support you in these efforts?

24. 4. If you committed to taking on the project of bringing your intentions into reality, what practical steps could you take in the next three to seven days?

25. Your Steps and Moving Forward Together A Template

26. TEF Tools and Resources TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef Publications State affiliates in TEF Action 1 2 State-Specific Data Sources 3 • Studies supporting TEF concepts: • The Effects of State Public K-12 Expenditures on Income Distribution • K-12 Education in the U.S. Economy • Protecting Public Education from Tax Giveaways to Corporations. • School Funding, Taxes and Economic Growth • TEF Series • Why invest in education makes sense: • Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation • Corporate abuse: • The Great American Job Scam - corporate tax dodging and the myth of job creation. • Your Tax Dollars At Work…Offshore - foreign outsourcing firms are capturing state government contract. • No More Secret Candy Store - A grassroots guide into investigating corporate subsidies. States Facing Budget Shortfall – Center for Policy and Budget Priorities (CBPP) reports state fiscal profiles. State-by-state tax news and policy analysis provided by the Institute of Economics and Policy Analysis (ITEP). Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) new report analysis rank states by overall unemployment as well as the change seen since the start of the recession in December 2007. Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation show state returns in budget, salary, crime reduction by investing in Pre-K thru 12. Find out how much Wal-Mart is costing your state in subsidy deals, healthcare cost, and property tax appeal appeals. Combined Reporting, How Does Your State Stack-Up? Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) This reporting requires multi-state corporations to report the income earned by both the parent corporation and all of its subsidiaries and to determine their income tax liabilities on that basis. Good Jobs First state-by-state corporate subsidy websites. • A few examples… • This video address from Alabama EA President, John Wright. • Alabama EA sheds light on corporate tax avoidance in Alabama • Detroit News, Friday, July 25, 2008 • MEA Press Release: Drop-outs One Too Many, April. 4, 2008 • Honolulu Advertiser, Dec, 2006 • Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 2007 • Iowa State EA News ArticleKentucky EA - School Funding Statement. • Michigan’s Business Tax Incentives: • A study commissioned by MEA and NEA to improve the quality of the debate on business tax incentives. • Mississippi EA op-ed piece. • State Affiliate TEF Websites: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma

27. TEF Tools and Resources TEF Website: http://www.nea.org/tef Customizable Tools Introducing a New TEF Interactive Tool Other Useful Links 4 5 6 • Community Organizing • Business Outreach • Sample Political Action Tools • Corporate Legislation • TEF Model Legislation NEA Information on establishing a social networking site to use as an organizing tool. Others are: (http://www.ning.com/ ) and (http://www.groupsite.com/) http://www.faireconomy.org/tfoc to locate your state’s tax fairness organizing collaborative. These groups are located in 21 states. www.nea.org/tef

28. Other Resources On Taxes… Funding for Schools On Economic Policies 7 8 9 U.S. PIRG on Countdown. Olbermann talks about U.S. PIRG's report "Tax Shell Game.” Free Lunch, Corp Welfare, Bill Moyers and David Cay Johnston (9:49)David Cay Johnston - A History of Government Subsidies (3:08)David Cay Johnston - Are Government Subsidies Unfair? (4:43)David Cay Johnston - A Moral Argument for Progressive Taxes (3:04) Videos PBS Now, "Taxing the Poor" ((26.03) Wal-Mart Subsidies(7:48) Warren Buffett's Tax Rate is Lower than His Secretary's (4:39) TAXES: Warren Buffett - Rich Taxed Too Little, Poor Too Much (5:17) Eye To Eye With Katie Couric: Buffett's Tax Code (CBS News) (1:40) Access Quality Education: School Funding Litigation A National Network of Advocates Involved in Education Finance Litigation, Abbott vs. Burkeis the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered a set of education programs and reforms widely recognized to be the most fair and just in the nation. Videos

29. “Knowledge without action leads to despair.” — Anonymous “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’ ” --- George Bernard Shaw

30. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. The Call to Action!