Save our schools please!

[KeepsWhatHappens]

As many of you know the Terminator is proposing cutting $4.8 billion from our California schools. That will be the equivalent of cutting 107,000 teachers or increasing class sizes by 35%.

Please write your assembly members and senator to voice your opposition to this proposal before it's too late. You can follow the link to find your district and then click on "Find My District" in the left column.

Our kids are our future and we must invest wisely to secure a bright future for our state and country.

[northshore]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

As many of you know the Terminator is proposing cutting $4.8 billion from our California schools. That will be the equivalent of cutting 107,000 teachers or increasing class sizes by 35%.

Please write your assembly members and senator to voice your opposition to this proposal before it's too late. You can follow the link to find your district and then click on "Find My District" in the left column.

Our kids are our future and we must invest wisely to secure a bright future for our state and country.

Paging SDYeti!! This BLOWS!!

[2wheel_lee]

NBR > The Pub

[dirtvert]

we (i teach in l.a.) already don't have music, art, or p.e. teachers. what else can they cut? oh, yeah- our salaries...

[danlorek]

if we didn't cut our some of the budget for our educational system, how would we ever balance our books?

more specifically, how could we ever afford to support all of the illegal immigrants quality healthcare and other services we provide? cutting into any of that would be inhumane.

[dirtvert]

yea- let's blame the people (slaves) who are propping up the economy...

edit: clinton managed to leave a huge budget surplus. maybe it's poor leadership/management?

[SheDevil]

okay...I can't stand on my soap box....I digress.

[el_d00der1n0]

Here we go again...

[EMrider]

Originally Posted by el_d00der1n0

Here we go again...

Yep, an important topic.....but certainly not a bike-related topic.

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Originally Posted by EMrider

Yep, an important topic.....but certainly not a bike-related topic.

Oops meant this for the pub. My apologies.

[mottmcfly]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

As many of you know the Terminator is proposing cutting $4.8 billion from our California schools. That will be the equivalent of cutting 107,000 teachers or increasing class sizes by 35%.

Please write your assembly members and senator to voice your opposition to this proposal before it's too late. You can follow the link to find your district and then click on "Find My District" in the left column.

Our kids are our future and we must invest wisely to secure a bright future for our state and country.

My wife's job is on the cutting block. We called Steve Lopez from the LA times and he wrote an article about it.

[Zippy]

I sent an e-mail to the Governator regarding the 50-some state parks he's going to be closing as a result of his "equitable" 10% budget cut across te board (I Lifeguard for State Parks in the Summer). Here's the reply I got:

"Thank you for writing Governor Schwarzenegger and sharing your thoughts on the budget crisis' impact on the California State Park system. The Governor appreciates your input during this difficult budget year.

A weakened national economy and auto-pilot state spending has created a projected budget shortfall of $14.5 billion for fiscal year 2008-09. Although state government revenues this coming year are actually forecast to hold steady, the problem is that every year automatic spending formulas increase expenditures. Left unchecked, next year's budget would need to grow by 7.3-percent, which is $7.6 billion; even booming economies can't meet that kind of increase. To immediately combat this crisis, the Governor has proposed a 10-percent reduction in nearly every General Fund program from their projected 2008-09 funding levels. While these reductions are unquestionably painful and challenging, this across-the-board approach is designed to protect essential services by spreading reductions as evenly as possible.

To achieve this difficult reduction, State Parks will be reducing both its permanent and seasonal workforce. As a result, 48 park units will be closed or partially closed to the public and placed in caretaker status. By closing parks and eliminating positions, remaining resources can be consolidated and shifted to other parks to provide for services necessary to keep those parks open and operating. While 48 parks are affected by closures, 230 parks-or 83% of the system-will remain open.

We must reform our state budget process. Government cannot continue to put people through the binge and purge of our budget process that has now led to park closures. That's why the Governor has proposed a Budget Stabilization Act. Under the Governor's plan, when revenues grow, Sacramento would not be able to spend all the money. Instead, we would set a portion aside in a Revenue Stabilization Fund to stabilize the budget in down years. If a deficit develops during the year, instead of waiting to accumulate billions of dollars of debt, the Governor's plan would automatically trigger lower funding levels already agreed upon by the Legislature. Had this system been in place the past decade, we would not be facing a $14.5 billion deficit.

As Governor Schwarzenegger works with his partners in the Legislature, he will keep your concerns in mind. With your help, we will turn today's temporary problem into a permanent victory for the people of California.

Sincerely,



Jared Bocka
Office of Constituent Affairs"

I'm not saying don't complain, I'm saying be prepared to get blown off.

[Nagaredama]

I'd take closing some if not all of the State Parks to maintain the spending on education. Sorry but education is more important.

How about repealing the break on car registration?

[granny ring]

Once again in the doublespeak of politics they love to trot out the "cuts to education" There has NEVER been a decrease in overall funding of education. Just because you give a smaller increase in spending than originally called for it is not an cut in funding. CA spends over 10k per student in the k-12 system. Where does it stop? How come every year when this topic comes up we hear about teacher layoffs? Last year every part time employee that was given a pink slip was rehired. They threaten to layoff teachers to get everyone's feathers ruffled so we write our representatives and the union remains strong.

State revenue has increased 30% in the last 5 years. To REVERSE the comment by that socialist Perata "we do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem"

[ohyeah89]

Oh man so much I want to say and respond to but I am biting my tongue.

One thing I will say though is I support our teachers 100% and agree that education is one of the most important contributing factors to the rest of our society.

With that being said, I think we really need to figure a better way to get the money TO THE TEACHERS (better salaries) AND INTO THE CLASSROOMS! Look at all the money that gets lost in the vast layers of bureacracy! Man, one of the reasons I couldn't ever be a teacher, I would always be so fustrated. Thank you so much those of you who are!

And all these talks of cuts are most likely propaganda by the Governator so he can cover his arse when he signs the budget which raises a lot of our taxes.

[Nagaredama]

In 2004 California spent $7,748(1) per student. We were also the 10th largest economy in the world! Larger than Brazil, Mexico, Canada.

New Jersey spent the most per child in 2004, $12,981 per child.

We have a mandated funding problem. The only way to really solve the problem is through more taxes or the repeal of Prop 13 which caused this mess.

1. Source (www2.census.gov/govs/school/04f33pub.pdf)

[92se-r]

Yes, we need more taxes.

We have the 10th largest economy in the world and you think we need more taxes? LOL. We need to stop entitlement programs.

Oh wait, raising taxes and throwing away more money always solves problems right? You will just drive more businesses away and drive more people that actually PAY taxes away. Good luck with that.

[stinkyrider]

I agree whole-heartedly. The problem isn't funding. It's spending.

My mom is a private school teacher for 25+ years and she will attest that they spend less than half that amount per student.
On average, the kids come out testing far higher than the public school system.
Also have much cleaner, and better maintained facilities than any of the public schools near by.
The books are kept neat and never get more than 2 years old.
I don't ever see private school teachers going on strike. LOL

Somehow, they can do all that with half the money spent per student. If small private schools with 200-300 students can somehow make ends meet year after year, why can't a school district with double the funding and 10's of thousands of students do it?

I believe the problem doesn't lie with having enough funding. The problem lies with inefficient spending of public funds and abhorrently incompetent/corrupt school administrators.

I also understand that there are other socioeconomic factors involved in public vs. private schools as well, but that's another debate.

Originally Posted by granny ring

O CA spends over 10k per student in the k-12 system.

State revenue has increased 30% in the last 5 years. To REVERSE the comment by that socialist Perata "we do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem"