November 25, 2011: Earlier this month, parents from across the state gathered in Los Angeles for Camp Educate, a three-day training retreat led by Educate Our State (EOS), a parent-lead group which advocates for high-quality public education in California. Several dozen charter parents attended the event, which included workshops on grassroots organizing and featured speakers like Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Assemblywoman Betsy Butler. Ainye Long, a Director, Parent and Community Engagement with Families That Can, shares her impressions of the event and why she's excited about partnering with Educate Our State.

I was impressed with the entire production of the event-but what impressed me most was the sincere passion and love that all the parent attendees displayed when sharing their commitment to change public education for every child in California.

Most importantly, Educate Our State shared tangible goals with campers, and provided the tools needed to collectively continue the conversations and efforts statewide. It was powerful for charter school parents to participate in Camp Educate alongside their counterparts in traditional schools. Charter schools are public schools and there is so much we can learn from each other, as well as issues where we can advocate together, such as for more equitable funding for our public schools.

Families that Can's collaboration with Educate our State started earlier this year with a conversation between FTC's Executive Director, Corri Ravare, EOS Co-Founder Crystal Brown, and me. Our organizations have similar origins. FTC started in 2007 when a group of parents rallied together to opposed a proposed $18 million cut in charter school facilities funding. Brown told us that their organization was started by eight California moms who were frustrated with cuts to public education and who have since rallied thousands of other parents to get involved. We have continued to stay in contact about ways we can work together, including participating in Camp Educate.

Charter school parents are pioneers in public education reform - they have made their voices heard and made an impact just by putting their children's needs first and looking for other options when they were dissatisfied with the traditional schools in their community. Too often, people in power have tried to pit families at traditional schools against those at charter schools. We are all public school parents and we share a commitment that is the foundation of this work - We put STUDENTS first.

Families That Can and Educate Our State both agree that there needs to be more equitable funding for all California public schools, and every child in California should have access to a high-quality K-12 public school in their neighborhood. With California being the 8th largest economy in the world, why would our children's educations not reflect this? Being forty-eighth in US spending per pupil is beyond unacceptable. I'm looking forward to future events, town halls, and collaborations with Educate Our State.

To find out more about Families That Can http://www.familiesthatcan.org/

One of my favorite stories takes place in 2008.  That is the year that the Pacifica School District passed it's parcel tax by one vote.  Exactly 2/3rds of our voters that day said yes to education and the future of Pacifica by voting to help maintain it's level of funding.  One less vote and we would have lost.

Do you want to know my least favorite story?  When we passed the parcel tax in Pacifica in 2008 by one vote.  How can my favorite and least favorite story be one-in-the-same?  Well while we did preserve our educational funding the vote should not have been that close.  Only 30% of Pacifica's parents who are registered to vote actually voted in that election.  I was floored when I learned of this statistic.  Even when their own children's educational future was on the line only 30% of our registered parents bothered to use one of the greatest gifts we have as citizen's of this country.  Unfortunately this statistic is fairly common.

Voting, in my opinion, is our most valuable tool to bring about change as everyday citizens.  If every parent in the State of California voted, I know in my heart that education issues would not be so low on Sacramento's totem pole, especially in terms of funding. As it stands now education is always one of the first things on the State funding cutting board.  Granted, it is one of the larger pieces of the budget but it is also an area where there are few repercussions for the politicians making those cuts.  We are not in the ballot box and so we are minor players in Sacramento.

When it comes to reform, the agenda that is pushed is the one that appeals to those who vote - Seniors.  Test scores are always on the forefront of any education reform conversation. Not having children in the classroom limits their knowledge of how harmful it is to base teacher performance solely on standardized test scores. Teacher accountability and standardized testing are buzz words that really resonate with the senior population and so politicians continue to push that particular agenda.

As a parent, you are your child's greatest advocate. The ability to be your child's voice in Sacramento lies within the ballot box.  If parents voted as a collective unit there would be no lobby that could stand against us. We have all the power we need to fix our broken education system in this State and restore it to what it once was.  We are just not using it.

Right now, there is a child in Pacifica who is enjoying a year of schools with no furlough days, smaller classroom size then some of his or her counterparts in neighboring districts and a teacher that received training in Reader's and Writer's workshop over the summer.  All thanks to one vote.  That is why I am attending Camp Educate. As parents we need to wake up and learn to use the tools at hand before it is to late. 

We have the power.

Kalimah Salahuddin is a single mother of three wonderful children.  Karim is 15 and Amirah and Ananda are 13.  We have lived in Pacifica, CA for over 10 years now.  My oldest is autistic and that is what caused me to become active in the political side of educational funding and reform.  I started Saving Pacifica Schools a political action committee that works to educate our local legislators as well as our community on educational issues and reform.  I am currently running the campaign to renew out District's parcel tax, Measure L. I also work full time as a assistant at Gilead Sciences.