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Utahns will join others from across the country next week to rally against policies they say are undermining public education.

Local organizers of the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action plan to rally July 28 and July 29 at the Salt Lake City Public Library and march to the State Office of Education on July 29. Doni Faber said a small group, including herself, organized the local rally to push for changes to policies they believe hurt struggling schools through privatization, funding cuts, closing schools and transferring control away from teachers and parents.

"I'm very concerned about the direction that especially national policy, but also local policy, is headed," said Faber, a tutor for Valley Mental Health and a former public school teacher. "I feel like the ability of the teachers to do an effective job is being interfered with." She said she believes public education is being underfunded so that it can't function, creating an excuse for "private takeover."

The event will cover teaching and activism and the importance of teachers unions, such as the Ogden Education Association (OEA). The group also is calling for equitable funding for all public schools, more helpful school testing, "curriculum responsive to needs of the community," and policy informed by teachers and parents.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, will be the keynote speaker as part of a "Teach-In" at the library Friday.

Moss said she sees the rally as a chance to push back against certain policies and attitudes at state and national levels.

"I've just seen increasingly negative portrayals of teachers coming from politicians, and it's counterproductive," Moss said. She said the focus should be put back on the educators and parents who know their kids best.

Utah Education Association (UEA) Vice President Tom Nedreberg may also speak, though the UEA was not involved in coordinating or organizing the event, said Mike Kelley, UEA spokesman. State school board member Kim Burningham is also slated to speak, Faber said.

The rally and march follow controversy over teacher contracts in Ogden and state-level discussions about collective bargaining and vouchers, though Faber said it was planned before those situations arose.

In recent weeks, the Ogden district sent notices to teachers, telling them that it is not negotiating with the OEA for a collective 2011-12 contract, after failing to reach agreement on a contract last school year. Teachers were told to sign and return individual contracts by July 20 or their jobs would be advertised as open for hire. The district also announced that over the next six years it aims to replace "steps," the profession-wide standard of giving raises based on years of experience, with merit-based pay.

Also, on Tuesday Utah Republican legislative leaders approved studying the issues of tuition tax credits for private schools and the elimination of collective bargaining for public employees such as teachers, state workers and city or county employees. —

Save OurSchools events

P Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, will be the keynote speaker onJuly 29 as part of a "Teach-In" starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake City Public Library, 201 E. 400 South. Other events will include a presentation and discussion of the film "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" at the library on July 28 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and a march and rally on July 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., starting at the library. The events are free and open to the public. To find out more about the nationwide event, go to saveourschoolsmarch.org.