Community Corner
Camp Educate 2013 - 3 day conference in LA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katherine Welch (415) 786-7663, katherine@educateourstate.org
Cushon Bell (626) 755-1276, cushon@educateourstate.org
Find out what's happening in Marina Del Reywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Website: www.EducateOurState.org
"Enough with Bake Sales" Parents Launch Third Camp Educate Event
Find out what's happening in Marina Del Reywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
LA Superintendent Dr. John Deasy and former State Sup. Delaine Eastin to speak at event
Los Angeles, CA – November 4, 2013 – Now that parents have sent their kids back to school,
Educate Our State is sending those same parents to camp. "Camp Educate" is a two-day,
statewide, hands-on training conference to teach parents and community members to
become strong advocates for public education on the local and state level. It is organized by
Educate Our State, a grassroots, parent-led volunteer advocacy organization with 50,000
supporters across California.
Held in Los Angeles, at the Renaissance LAX Hotel, November 8-10, Camp Educate will
include Saturday addresses from LAUSD Superintendent Dr. John Deasy and former State
Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin. Dr. Michael Kirst, President of the
California Board of Education, stated "I am pleased that Educate Our State is empowering
parents to be successful participants and advocates in developing Local Control and
Accountability Plans that meet the unique needs of students in the varied school districts in
California. Parent engagement will be critical to the success of this process."
“Parents are realizing that they cannot "bake sale" their way out of school funding problems,
and that their voice will be critical as districts begin to implement the much more flexible new
funding formula” said Katherine Welch, Educate Our State Board Chair. “Camp Educate will
give parents the tools they need to make real, systemic change. These skills will be
invaluable as they return to their communities and begin the advocacy that is critical to the
success of this new parent engagement plan,” said Cushon Bell, Educate Our State Board
Member.
Dr. Deasy, in a previous address at an Educate Our State conference, spoke out about the
importance of parent advocacy saying, “The work that you are doing about insuring the
parent voice has an anchor in schools that is constitutional…don’t back away for a second.”
The New Organizing Institute (NOI) will be leading the training using the highly successfully
organizing techniques that were used by Caesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, Dr.
Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement, and the Obama campaign.
California educates the largest number of children in the United States with fewer dollars per
student, resources and support than most other states in the nation.
Educate Our State was started four years ago by six moms frustrated with the state of
California public Education and has grown to over 50,000 supporters statewide.
Educate Our State is a grassroots, volunteer, parent-led organization, educating and uniting
Californians to advocate for systemic change that will provide all students with a high-quality
public education. Learn more at: www.EducateOurState.org
# # #