Spontaneous Flashpoints Erupt on What California State Budget Cuts Mean to Local Schools

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Former Speaker of the U.S. House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill used to say that “all politics is local.”

This has never been more evident than what we are starting to see in our newspapers, on local television, and on the streets and campuses of communities throughout California on cuts to education. Cuts that start with the state and are seen in the cancellation of school programs and pink slips being handed out to teachers--from the Napa Valley to the Coachella Valley, in urban and rural districts, have led to walkouts and political action taken by students, some of whom are waving signs from street corners to honking passing motorists who are showing signs of support. Students, parents, and others who vote are showing up at local board of education meetings. Californians are now showing up in Sacramento on the steps of the Capitol and demanding action to keep cherished teachers at their local schools, and to save classes in subjects important to them, sports programs, counseling, and health programs.

It takes a lot to get California residents and voters interested in state public policy. But we may be on the cusp of something big here—of the magnitude of what led to Proposition 13 on property taxes in 1978 and the recall election in 2003 of Gray Davis that brought us Arnold Schwarzenegger as our Governor. In fact, when it comes to 2003, some are suggesting that Arnold is the same as Gray. If you have a couple of minutes, take a look at this local television news report and see how unhappy the Governor is with the comparison.

California is earthquake country and sometimes the ground moves slowly with a series of barely detectable minor quakes, but sometimes it shakes violently and new fault lines are seen. As the San Jose Mercury News put it:

“…there's no denying the emotional power generated by thousands of teacher pink slips in schools all over the state.

"It's difficult for people to grasp a debate over something as abstract as the budget," said Fred Silva, a budget expert and fiscal policy analyst at Beacon Economics. "But how much your public school is going to have for an arts program, or a reading program, is not abstract at all."