[Educationforall] Article from SocialistWorker.org

[Marcos Perez]

View original article here:

http://socialistworker.org/2009/10/27/conference-calls-spring-walkout

National
======== CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE CALLS SPRING WALKOUT ==========================

Nick Kardahji reports from the conference against budget cuts this weekend at  
UC Berkeley, called to organize the fight to defend public education.

October 27, 2009

MORE THAN 700 students, teachers, faculty and campus workers gathered at the  
University of California Berkeley on October 24 to discuss how to take the  
fight for public education in California to the next level.

The call for the a statewide conference--which represented not only student  
and faculty from California's several public university systems, but  
representatives of campus unions, as well as teachers and students from the  
pre-K to grade 12 public school system--was issued by a general assembly at  
UC Berkeley in the aftermath of protests on September 24 that accompanied a  
walkout of faculty, staff and students at the 10 campuses in the UC system.

After weeks of careful planning, representatives from all sectors of the  
state education system and from across the state came together to share their  
experiences of the devastating cuts imposed by the state government, and to  
form a united strategy of resistance. The overwhelming mood of the conference  
was to reject the failed strategy of legislative lobbying in favor of more  
radical direct action.

The conference began at 10 a.m. with opening speeches. Blanca Misse, a UCB  
graduate student in the French Department, acknowledged the huge significance  
of the conference while reminding the audience of the challenges ahead. "If  
we are unable to unite today in a democratic mass movement, we will not be  
able to win free public education," Misse said.

Similarly, Kathryn Lybarger, a groundskeeper at UC Berkeley and member of  
AFSCME Local 3299 member, emphasized the "historic" importance of a mass  
gathering of teachers, workers and students to unite and plan action. "They  
have a plan, and they've already started putting it into action," Lybarger  
said. "Now we have to organize ourselves as one united movement and show them  
that the era of 'business as usual' is over."

Following the morning plenary session, during which various proposals for  
action were put forward, breakout sessions were held for the various  
educational sectors in attendance. Debate about the best way forward was  
often heated, but remained comradely for the most part, and the sentiment  
that we can only achieve gains if we work together was strongly felt.

While plans for immediate direct action were proposed, the majority view was  
that proper planning and coordination would lead to more effective results.  
Andy Libson, a teacher at Mission High School in San Francisco and member of  
United Educators of San Francisco, spoke for many in the K-12 system when he  
argued that "a plan for radical, but achievable, action will allow us to put  
pressure on our unions to take a more combative stance."

By the time the conference reconvened to decide on a finalized plan, a number  
of proposals had emerged as popular options. While a vocal minority  
aggressively pushed for an indefinite general strike, the overwhelming  
majority voted to accept a proposal that called for a united strike and day  
of action on March 4 across public education, with specific tactics to be  
decided democratically by each school and college. This allows for maximum  
unity and coordination across the state while simultaneously allowing options  
for those on campuses and in school systems where the possibilities of action  
are more limited.

With plans for a second mobilizing conference in early spring approved and a  
coordinating committee assembled, the conference drew to a close.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ONE OF the most important achievements of the conference was the renewed  
sense of confidence and clarity it provided to campus activists disoriented  
in the wake of the huge September 24 walkouts across the UC system.

In the month following this inspiring action, different viewpoints emerged,  
from both liberals and those on the far left, on how best to advance the  
struggle. On many campuses, this meant there was no unified lead or clear  
strategy.

The success of Saturday's conference should give a renewed sense of purpose  
to the majority of activists who see action as essential, but also recognize  
the need to build a mass democratic movement and coordinate action as widely  
as possible. It will be the job of socialists and other radicals in the  
movement to ensure that maximum advantage is taken of this opportunity to  
begin turning back the tide of savage cuts to education.

While only an initial step, if the success and spirit of Saturday's  
conference can be maintained going forward, the path to defending public  
education--in California and beyond--will be clearer.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

What you can do
Find out more about the statewide mobilizing conference at the CA Campaign to  
Save Public Education [1] Web site--and look for updates on how to get  
involved in actions and organizing for the struggle.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Material on this Web site is licensed by SocialistWorker.org, under a  
Creative Commons (by-nc-nd 3.0) [2] license, except for articles that are  
republished with permission. Readers are welcome to share and use material  
belonging to this site for non-commercial purposes, as long as they are  
attributed to the author and SocialistWorker.org.


[1] http://www.savecapubliceducation.org/
[2] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0