California Educator

February 09

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¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! B Y C TA P R ESIDEN T D A VID A. S ANCHEZ T he latest cuts to school funding proposed by the governor are the worst we’ve ever seen in California. They are deep and far-reaching. They will devastate schools and colleges, causing thousands of additional layoffs, even larger class size increases than we are currently experiencing, more program cuts, and possible school closures. CTA has been steadily at work leading efforts over the past year fighting for a budget that helps rather than hinders our education system. Friday, March 13, marks the deadline that pink slips will be sent to thousands of California educators as lo- cal school districts are forced to make drastic cuts. In response, CTA is coordinating a state- wide day of action called “Pink Friday.” Local events all across California will be inviting par- ents, teachers and other educators to Stand Up For Schools. What we need now is involvement from the entire community, sharing their out- rage with lawmakers. The governor’s proposal to cut an addition- al $10.8 billion over the next 18 months is an irresponsible assault on California’s students and schools. And adding further insult to inju- ry, the governor is redefining Proposition 98, the state’s minimum school funding law, to take $7 billion from our schools that would never be repaid, in direct violation of the constitutional guarantee. I wished it stopped there, but it doesn’t. He’s also proposed shortening the school year by five days and eliminating cate- gorical spending on such programs as Class Size Reduction. This is unacceptable. Lawmakers need to raise revenues and solve California’s budget problem without further detrimental cuts to an already underfunded public school system. It’s long past time for lawmakers to stop playing partisan politics and pass some viable revenue increases for K-12 and higher educa- tion. Investing in public education is the best investment we can make in the future of our children and our state. We warned the Legisla- ture last year that relying on more borrowing would just make the situation worse — and it has. Every day they don’t take action, our kids pay a bigger price. Some schools we are hearing about are planning to eliminate all sports programs, while others are talking about increasing all class sizes to 40 students. As a primary-grade teacher, I know firsthand the importance of the Class Size Reduction program. The K-3 years are a critical time of development. To shoehorn more kids into these grade levels would be to deprive them of key support at a time when they are most vulnerable and most in need. Parents and teach- ers know that smaller class sizes are also key to improving student learning and development, especially for ethnic minority children and English learners, and help to close the achieve- ment gap that has existed for decades. We weren’t about to let these cuts occur without putting up a fight. In January, CTA launched a 30-second TV spot encouraging concerned citizens to call local legislators and ask them to protect Class Size Reduction. Or- ganizing efforts at the local level produced an enormous number of calls that further solid- ified our determination to fight these cuts. The calls effectively shut down legislators’ phone lines. Our plan is working. It’s clear how successful and powerful we can be when we work together to solve this budget crisis. And we’re not done. Join the “Pink Friday” event on March 13, where parents, teachers and other educators will be Standing Up For Schools. Attend an event at a school near you. Get involved at www.pinkfriday09.org and create an event page for your local, get ideas about hosting an event, share how cuts are hurting your school, and connect with other public education support- ers. Encourage members to call or e-mail leg- islators. Tell them that investing in public edu- cation is an investment in our future. Tell them to fix the budget now and raise the revenue we need to fund our schools. EDITOR IN CHIEF Dave Earl Carpenter STAFF WRITER Sherry Posnick-Goodwin CTA WEB EDITOR Karyn Ferrera Donhoff CTA WEB EDITOR Tiffany Hasker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Craig Hamilton CTA ELECTED OFFICERS PRESIDENT David A. Sanchez VICE PRESIDENT Dean E. Vogel SECRETARY-TREASURER Daniel R. Vaughn BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Allen, Donald L. Bridge, Michael Bustos, Tyrone V. Cabell, Mikki Cichocki, Dayton Crummey, Don Dawson, Dana Dillon, Jim Groth, Dián Dolores Hasson, Eric C. Heins, Lynette P. Henley, Mignon W. Jackson, Marty G. Meeden, George Melendez, Mary Rose Ortega, Cynthia Peña, Lloyd N. Porter, Jim Rogers, Bonnie Shatun, Michael Stone EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Carolyn Doggett ASSOCIATE EXEC. DIRECTOR Rebecca Zoglman COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jonathan Goldman CONTRIBUTORS Cameron Burbank, Scott Buschman, Dave Crosland, Len Feldman, Bill Guy, Susan Harper, Dina Martin, Mike Myslinski, Kamran Nasser, Frank Wells EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Heidi Swenson Chipman, chair; Misao Brown, William G. Clark, Michael Downey, Maggie Ellis, Charmaine Kawaguchi, KC Walsh; Larry Allen (Board liaison) EDITORIAL INFORMATION California Educator is published for the information and edification of its members. The editorial philoso- phy is governed by the policies of CTA. Articles and advertising reflect that philosophy. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@cta.org. Publication of advertising in the California Educa- tor does not indicate CTA approval of the product or of the companies that purchase advertising. Advertising rate card and information is available from WebSolutions, Media Division, 5666 Spruce Harbor Court, Las Vegas, NV 89122 (702) 838-3434; FAX (702) 838-3355 Membership dues in CTA/NEA are $757/year for the fiscal year, Sept. 1-Aug. 31. Up to $17.57 of CTA annual dues is designated for CTA/ABC political activ ities to support state and local candidates and/or initiatives and is not deductible for income tax purposes. Subscription to the California Educator is $10/year, available only to persons or institutions not eligible for CTA/NEA membership. California Educator (ISSN 1091-6148) is published monthly except January, July and August for $6.47 per year (included in dues) by: CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 1705 Murchison Dr., Burlingame, CA 94010-4583 (650) 697-1400; FAX (650) 552-5002 editor@cta.org, www.cta.org ¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! [It can be done! Why not?], words inspired by César Chávez, 4 California Educator | FEBRUARY 2009 Postmaster: Send change of address to California Educator, P.O. Box 4178, Burlingame, CA 94011-4178. encourage us to remember that, together, we can achieve great things. Periodicals Postage Paid at Burlingame, CA, and additional mailing offices.

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