[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Parents and educators have voiced their strong opposition to all cuts to schools and students. And while the Governor’s revised budget proposal avoids suspending Proposition 98, the state’s minimum school funding law, it still cuts billions of dollars from public education. It makes cuts to the many vital programs that help student achievement, like class size reduction. It also fails to include a cost-of-living adjustment for schools, despite the steadily increasing operating costs for local districts. With this budget, schools and students are once again being asked to “do more with less.”
 
With more than 20,000 layoff notices already sent to teachers, custodians, school bus drivers, principals and other school employees around the state, California's schools and students have paid a steep price for proposed budget cuts. Many teachers have already been recruited to leave the state. In addition, many school districts have already been forced to cut music, arts and career technical education programs.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

In the midst of $4.8 billion in proposed budget cuts to schools, today Assemblymembers Roger Niello, John Benoit, Rick Keene and Alan Nakanishi unveiled a devastating series of proposals that would further drain money from public schools and hurt our students, including a proposal for school vouchers. The group is also proposing tax credits for private and home schooling, which would further decimate funding for public schools in the middle of a budget crisis.

California already ranks 46th out of 50 states in per pupil spending. Short-sighted proposals like those released today only shortchange our students’ future by undermining our public schools. Recent news reports already show that other states are recruiting California’s teachers while they are receiving pink slips due to the budget shortfall.

With more than 20,000 layoff notices already sent to teachers, custodians, school bus drivers, principals and other school employees around the state, it is California’s students who suffer the consequences of budget cuts to our public schools. Every pink slip issued to an educator or school employee means fewer resources available to our students.

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