Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2866
CTA, Ed Coalition continue to battle to bridge revenue shortfall, protect schools would add up to $8 billion for the year for K-14. CTA and its Edu- cation Coalition partners have continued to fight in the state Capitol to pro- tect public edu- cation against those cuts. The battle is I unf o ldin g around new pro- posals to bridge a state revenue shortfall e sti- mated to reach as much as $28 b i l li on b y 2009-10. At s take in f elected officials do not approve any new state reve- nues, midyear budget cuts ers are barred from doing any oth- er legislative business until the budget crisis is addressed. The governor called the sec- The battle is unfolding around new proposals to bridge a state the battle is as much as $17 bil- lion in classroom funding over a two-year period, along with thou- sands of jobs for K-12 educators and staff. “The solution to the state’s fis- revenue shortfall estimated to reach as much as $28 billion by 2009-10. cal problems does not reside in more cuts to education, health care and other vital state services,” says CTA President David A. San- chez. “The real answer to the problem is to raise the new reve- nues required to make up for the shortfall and to close loopholes that are allowing special interests to escape paying their fair share of the state’s costs.” In December, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency. Under Proposition 58 and the state constitution, if the Legislature does not act to close the gap within 45 days, lawmak- ond special session of the Legisla- ture — the first with the newly elected lawmakers — after a last- ditch ef for t failed to resolve the problem in November with the p revious Legi s l ature. During the first special session, the go vernor proposed a plan to b ridge t he revenue short- fall with a com- bination of fur- ther c uts a nd new revenues. Legislative Democrats ad- vocated for new revenues as well as addi tional cuts, but their efforts were stymied when Re- publican Assembly members and senators refused to support any new revenues. At a recent news conference in Sacramento, CTA Board member Mike Bustos, other Education Coalition representatives, and state Superintendent of Public In- struction Jack O’Connell warned that without significant increases in new state revenues, schools could suffer double-digit cuts that would further decimate the state’s educational system. “Our students are suffering, and statewide our schools are still reeling from the previous rounds of cuts that slashed $2.8 billion,” noted Bustos. “Thousands of ded- icated teachers and other instruc- tional personnel have already been laid off, and electives — including physical education, art, and music — have been eliminated. Schools are operating without aides, nurs- es, counselors and basic school supplies. And class sizes are being increased, harming students who need individual attention.” O’Connell ur ged G ov. Schwarzenegger and lawmakers not to allow the staggering finan- cial crisis to create an “educational meltdown.” “Schools have been under- funded by billions of dollars while trying to achieve standards. These new proposals would continue to pile on cuts in current and future years,” the state schools chief de- clared. “All of us are deeply con- cerned about how cuts of this magnitude would affect students and their educational future. Cal- ifornia already spends less on public education than most other states. These new cuts raise the possibility of s hortening t he school year, eliminating training programs and doing away with school transportation services. They would be devastating.” Proposition 58’s 45-day count- down for lawmakers to fix the budget began in early December. Senate and Assembly Democrats in the newly elected Legislature have pledged that they will protect education and other important services as they seek a solution to the problem. But the vast majority of Senate and Assembly Republi- cans — including newly elected ones — continue to insist that the state’s budget woes must be fixed without any new revenues. In fact, many of the newly elected GOP legislators affirmed that they had signed “no new taxes” pledges. The Senate’s new leader, Pres- ident Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los An- geles) declared the state’s budget emergency to be the Legislature’s top priority and said they would be working to secure needed new revenues from state and fed- eral sources. len Feldman A $7.2 billion cut to public education this year would be equivalent to: > Shutting down every school across the state for 25 days. > Increasing class sizes by more than 50 percent statewide. > Reducing per-student spending by almost $1,200. > Laying off 160,000 classroom teachers. > Laying off 180,000 bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, maintenance workers, and other education support professionals. > Cutting more than $31,500 per classroom. > Cutting $12.4 million from the average school district that serves 10,000 students. > Eliminating all music, art, and career technical education programs around the state — with room to cut even more.