StudentsFirst Founder Michelle Rhee, former Washington, D.C. Teachers Union President George Parker, and Steve Perry, Founder and Principal of Capital Preparatory Magnet School, will be hosting a town hall meeting in Birmingham next month.
The meeting will be held at the WorkPlay Theatre in Birmingham on September 12th. Organizers say the assembly will be an opportunity for Alabamians to discuss ideas to improve the education of Alabama’s children.
“Everyone knows that a great teacher can truly change the course of a child’s life,” the event’s organizers said in a statement. “Teachers have the power to make a difference for every student, despite which neighborhood a kid lives in or what their parents do for a living.”
StudentsFirst is one of the country’s foremost advocates for school choice reform. The Alabama legislature passed the state’s first school choice bill, the Alabama Accountability Act, during the last legislative session. The law allows students in habitually failing schools to transfer to non-failing public or private schools in their area.
The Alabama Education Association, the state’s public school employees union, has been the the most vocal opponent of school choice reforms in Alabama. Students First says they have invited AEA representatives and members to participate in the town hall, which will have an extensive question and answer period.
The Sept. 12 town hall event is open to the public and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information visit the Teacher Town Hall website.
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