500 march in Tucson to defend the Department of Education and federal workers

Tucson, AZ – On March 30, educators, labor unions and community members marched in downtown Tucson to tell the Trump administration, “Hands off the Department of Education!” The crowd gathered outside Davis Elementary, which is renowned for its bilingual education and mariachi, then headed toward the Federal and State buildings for a speaking program.

Union educators from Sunnyside and Flowing Wells spoke about the catastrophic impact that the dismantling of the Department of Education would have on Title I funding for low-income schools and Title III funding for English Language learners and the loss of special education rights.

Jennifer Cardenas, a school psychologist in the Sunnyside School District, said, “If we allow these cuts to happen, we send a message to children that their future is negotiable. But we have a choice. We can stand up and fight for these resources.”

Anthony Lovio, a 6th grade teacher in Flowing Wells, added, “Some 15% of all students in the U.S. require special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Eliminating the Department of Education would have a detrimental impact on my students, families, and the broader community.”

Parents of children in public schools also spoke about the need to protect students by maintaining services, staff and funding as well as being inclusive to all students, especially LGBTQ children to combat Trump’s bigoted agenda on gender.

As the chair of the Pima Area Labor Federation and member of CWA 7026, Cecilia Valdez spoke about the need to defend all workers and specifically those under attack like VA hospital workers and postal workers. She mentioned the recent rallies of the American Post Workers Union to fight the efforts for privatization of the mail service, stating, “We know these are union-busting tactics and an effort to make the rich richer.”

Educators from the AZ Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (AZACTS) at Arizona’s only unionized charter school, Basis Tucson North, shared their struggles in getting transparency on where the funding goes and how to get the resources their students need.

“We need to fight to defend the Department of Education so our students get the resources they need because the states will not make sure that happens. And a for-profit corporation sure as hell is not going to make sure that happens for our students,” added Duncan Sohn Hasman, vice president of the Arizona affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

The event received endorsements from five Arizona Education Association locals, Flowing Wells, Sunnyside, Marana, Amphi, and Tucson and the AFT affiliate AZACTS. Local labor unions also endorsed including, AFSCME 449, IBEW 570, CWA 7026, UFCW 99, and the Pima Area Labor Federation joined the call to defend public workers. From the community, LUCHA and ScholarshipsAZ also supported the protest with endorsements as they push for a halt to deportations, support for DACA students and a People’s Budget at the state level.

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