As a former educator, I realize the impact and importance of early education. Children who are prepared for school excel from the start. I was able to pay for my children's early education. But, what about those who don't have funds for that or don't consider it important? Hawaii needs to improve their national rating of public education from #46 to #1. Please support early education for 4 year old Hawaii keiki.

Michael Madigan has tabled his plan for now, but we need to stop it from ever happening. He wants to shift the teacher pension responsibility to the local school districts. In other words taxpayers, he wants you to pay the pension obligation AGAIN, because our state legislators misappropriated the funds the first time we paid it.

support Glenda Ritz in her programs.Not in support of the voucher system, it will take away the best teachers, and public schools will not have the drive to move ahead

I became disabled while I was in school. I attended a total of 3 months of school. And now owe $12,000.00 in student loans. I have tried to get my student loan forgiven to no avail. At one point I thought I had succeded, but years later recieved a pay or else from a collection agency.

A local business is proposing to build an asphalt batching facility next to our community's elementary school

This is an educator’s petition to protect our students. As teachers, we have the responsibility to protect our students which starts with classroom safety. We witness first-hand how gun violence has affected our students. Each year in America, 30,000 people are killed by guns (Nicholas Kristof). Many students have lost loved ones, and many teachers have lost students due to gun violence. In some communities in America, it is far easier to obtain a gun than access a public library. More guns are not the answer. The high capacity magazines make any gun a military grade weapon, enabling the slaughtering of young as happened at Sandy Hook, Columbine, Northern Illinois University, Virginia Tech., Aurora, CO; Oakland, CA; and Lancaster, PA. There is no reason for individuals to own military style guns and assault weapons. They should be relegated to military use only. Guns that can kill 10 children in 30 seconds have no place in society. By requiring universal background checks, convicted felons and people with mental illnesses will be prevented from making gun purchases, and the registering of gun sales helps law enforcement trace guns at crime scenes. It has been proven that more guns create more carnage (Mark Follman). Therefore, teachers and administrators would likely do more harm than good if required to lock and load during a crisis situation. Our role is to inspire, instruct, guide, and nurture and not to kill. It is important for educators to band together and be part of the dialogue on gun, student, and school safety. We recognize that these measures will not eliminate all gun violence, but will greatly reduce the ability for mass murders. Teachers, please sign this petition for our students’ sake. Passing strong gun safety legislation will keep more of our students alive. In 2013, your voice will be heard on real gun legislation. Help us create a safer America for our students. Sincerely, Olivia Bigsby Elementary School Teacher Sources: Nicolas Kristof http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-do-we-have-the-courage-to-stop-this.html?_r=2& Marc Follman http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/mass-shootings-investigation “After Bullets Hit bystanders, Protocol Questions” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/nyregion/bystanders-shooting-wounds-caused-by-the-police.html?_r=0 “Mass Shootings in America,” http://www.nycrimecommission.org/initiative1-shootings.php

For years now Portland Public Schools has been systematically closing down its neighborhood schools, primarily those serving students and families of color. Last year they closed 2 schools. This year they are preparing to close yet another one. This practice undermines public education, segregates schools and tears neighborhoods apart. If PPS truly believes in equity like it claims to, school closures are NOT a solution!

I am a teacher in the Middleton School District. We currently have 15 furlough days. Providing quality educators need to be a priority. We will not be able to retain and attract quality teachers in our state if we do not provide adequate funding for education.

My personal experiance with the School Voucher System has been a blessing for my daughter. There are groups that would like to eliminate the voucher system. Please sign this to let our representatives know that we should keep the school voucher system in place.

Keeping the school voucher system in place.

As a parent and teacher, I want the Chicago Board of Education to postpone their vote on the proposed schedule until parents and teachers have had a chance to evaluate the effects of the new schedule on their children's education.

By pegging per student expenditure levels to those at the best academically performing schools in America, the new funding mechanism will establish a per-student expenditure that insures all public schools will have equal access educational resources and professional quality curriculum while minimizing the destabilizing effects on public education quality created by the funding parameters set by the "No Child Left Behind" policy.