Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1546952
San Diego Education Assn. Rep Council members commit to Yes on Prop. 3 on Sept. 2, preparing to talk to coworkers, colleagues and communities about the crucial need to protect school funding. FTA President Manuel Bonilla, right (with Association of Clovis Educators President Amy Kilburn). " Any additional cuts to funding would devastate generations, their upward mobility and their opportunities, whether that be in college or career." Fresno Teachers Association PRESIDENT MANUEL BONILL A (Funding at risk: $284.8 million) Why is Prop. 3 so important? "We are some of the most under-resourced communities with the highest concentration of poverty in America. Any additional cuts to education funding would devastate generations, their upward mobility and their opportunities, whether that be in college or career. We need to ensure those funds remain intact, that our students and communi- ties are given the opportunities they were promised through public education." What's at risk in your district if this funding expires? "More than $200 million in cuts would be devastating not only to our school system but to the entire region. It would start with cuts to essential programs for our students, and then there would be a tidal wave of layoffs to our custodians, bus drivers and other classified staff, and then it would turn into closure of schools, which is going to have a profoundly negative impact on our communities in the Central Valley." What are you doing to ensure Prop. 3 passes? "We need to educate all of our members and the community on the potential threat for this. On the local level, to ensure that those monies are allocated in the correct way. Doing work on both educating and getting the vote out to make sure that these funds do not go away, but also to make sure our decision makers are making the right choices on what to do with that money." Thoughts as we push onward to victory? "Our calling as educators is to provide quality education for our communities. To do that, we need to ensure there are resources to provide the academic and social-emotional sup- ports that our kids deserve now and for generations to come. These are well-worth investments, so we need to do our part to inform, educate and take action to ensure this passes." 25 F A L L 2 0 26