Voters to Elected Leaders: Don’t Cut Our Schools

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

As legislators consider proposals in conference committee to reduce the amount of budget cuts to schools from the Governor’s proposed $4.3 billion in cuts, this week’s Field Poll showed that 80 percent of Californians oppose ALL cuts to schools --confirming what parents, teachers and other educators have been saying all along -- "no cuts to schools and students."
 
The Field Poll showed that education ranked at the top of the thirteen major categories voters would most like to protect from cuts.
 
California already has some of the most overcrowded classrooms and the greatest shortages of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff in the nation. According to Education Week, California already ranks 46th out of 50 states in per-pupil funding. The Governor’s budget proposal keeps California at the bottom of those rankings.
 
The Governor’s May Revision budget fails to include a cost-of-living adjustment for schools and all education programs, despite the steadily increasing operating costs for local districts. It also severely underfunds critical programs like class size reduction, and shows that schools and students are once again being asked to do more with less.
 
Continuing to balance this budget with a cuts-only approach hurts children and schools. The Education Coalition looks forward to working with legislators to provide schools and students the funding they deserve, and to invest in California’s future.