YELLOW BUS TOUR FOR OSA

6/13/12….East Orange, NJ……Nearly 50 parents from Newark, Orange and East

Orange will descend upon Speaker Sheila Oliver’s office, at 15-33 Halsted Street, Suite

202, East Orange tomorrow in a yellow school bus with a letter demanding the Speaker

recognize the urgency of passing the Opportunity Scholarship Act for the children of her

community this legislative session.

“Everybody But Us” is the clarion call of these parents who believe that the Speaker

does not recognize the needs of her constituents when it comes to immediate action on

urban education reform. Parents will be in protest in front of Speaker Oliver’s office from

10AM to 1PM, waiting for a response from the Speaker.

The Yellow Bus Tour for OSA will continue on Thursday June 14, 10AM to

1PM with a protest at Assemblywoman Grace Spencer’s office, 223 Hawthorne Ave.,

Newark, NJ. Spencer is perceived by her constituents as being out of touch with the

needs of her community when it comes to urban education reform. Parents will deliver

another letter requesting immediate action and passage of the Opportunity Scholarship

Act to enable many of their children in failing public schools to receive educational

scholarships to attend other non-failing, eligible schools.

Friday June 15th, parents can be found protesting at Assemblyman Ralph Caputo’s

office, 148-152 Franklin St., Belleville, NJ, 10AM -12PM, and Assemblywoman

Cleopatra Tucker’s office, 400 Lyons Ave., Newark, NJ from 12-2PM. The two

legislators are also considered out of touch with their electorate and will be called on to

“Our legislators are not responsive to the needs of our community but distracted

by politics and fundraising,” said E3 grassroots/ parent coordinator Jerome Young. “We

are demanding to be heard on the issue of scholarships for kids. We want our children to

have an opportunity for a quality education NOW, not next session, not when all of the

details of contracting, and unions, and tenure is worked out. We want our kids to have a

choice for a better education starting now!”

The Opportunity Scholarship Act is legislation to enable primary and secondary

students in chronically-failing schools in 7 districts, Newark, Orange, Passaic, Asbury

Park, Lakewood, Elizabeth and Camden access to scholarships to attend eligible,

participating, alternative schools of their choice. Only 19 days remain in the current

legislative session to pass OSA.

For more information and interview opportunities contact:
Amy Simon, A Simon Says, LLC
amy@asimonsays.com
973-518-3040 mobile