Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1544915
Lobbying for Fully Funded Schools CTA members lobbied legislators at the State Capitol in March, demanding the full allocation of Prop. 98 education funds in the state budget and telling their own personal stories of how cuts impact students and schools. Left to right: Sarah Darr, SDEA; Nathalie Hrizi, UESF; Betty Robinson-Harris, UESF; Helen Kang, UTR; Jennifer Wilkin, Los Banos TA; Andrew Shrock, Simi Valley EA; Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA; Anna Cordero, CVEU; Charles Jones, Hayward EA; Shelly Ehrke, SMMCTA; Josie Malik, CCA; Gabriel Mendoza, CTA-AE; Carrie Anderson, OEA; John Martin, CCA. Californians Stand With Striking Educators N E W S T A T E W I D E P O L L I N G from Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) shows 2 in 3 public school parents (65%) and 6 in 10 Californians overall (61%) support public school teachers striking for higher pay — with majorities in every region of the state. PPIC's "Californians and Education" survey, released in April, shows that affordability concerns are helping drive support : An overwhelming majority of Californians say teacher salaries, relative to the cost of living, are a problem. And 7 in 10 public school parents say they support teachers' unions. The survey also shows that • Teachers' unions receive strong suppor t from public school parents ( 70%) and Californians overall (66%), with majorities approving across regions and demographic groups. • About half of respondents think their local public schools are doing an excellent or good job in preparing students for college, and in preparing students for jobs and the workforce, with higher ratings by public school parents. • 49% of Californians say that teachers' salaries, relative to the cost of living, is a big problem. • Nearly all respondents say that a shortage of teachers is at least somewhat of a problem. To read the full report, visit ppic.org. 11 S P R I N G 2 0 26