Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2868
aggressive campaign in the state Capitol to stave off fur- ther devastating cuts to schools and other vital human services programs. As the California Educator went to press, Gov. Schwarzeneg- ger had recently called lawmak- ers back into a special session to begin wrestling with the short- fall that is now projected to reach $11.2 billion. Back in September CTA warned that this would happen when the governor ap- proved a borrowing budget. A key element of the cam- paign involves persuading state lawmakers that the solution to Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell (right) warned that budget cuts are having a devastating effect on California public schools, issuing the warning during a joint briefing with Education Coalition representatives, including Rick Pratt, a budget lobbyist for the California School Boards Association. CTA, allies begin new fight for more funding R epresentatives of CTA and its Education Coalition partners have begun an the state’s widening budget defi- cit is raising new permanent rev- enues, not making additional cuts to a system that ranks at the bottom in the nation. The new efforts are bolstered by a recent poll from the nonpar- tisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), which finds that an overwhelming majority of voters view the budget situation as serious, with the largest seg- ment preferring to see the budget gap bridged by a combination of new revenues and cuts as op- posed to slashing programs. “California’s public schools and our state health and other service programs can’t stand ad- ditional reductions,” says CTA President David A. Sanchez. “We are especially concerned about any midyear cuts the governor is proposing that would do further damage to our schools. The cuts have already forced districts to put more students into our al- ready overcrowded classrooms and abandon class size reduction efforts. The cuts have resulted in thousands of layoffs around the state and elimination of counsel- ing, nursing, arts, and music pro- grams that are important to the health and welfare of our more than 6 million students. Our state and our future can’t afford more of these cuts.” The governor and the Legisla- ture have until Nov. 30 to act be- fore newly elected senators and Assembly members are sworn in- to office on Dec. 1. If the current lawmakers are not able to solve the revenue shortfall, newly elect- ed lawmakers will have to take on the challenge. On Nov. 5, the governor an- nounced his plan to bridge that gap. His proposal includes a combination of new revenues and still more cuts. His newest proposal would cut at least an- other $2.5 billion from schools that have already been devastat- ed by cuts this school year. Democrats in the Legislature have reiterated their call for more revenues — and not more cuts — to close the growing budget gap. If lawmakers fail to implement a budget that works, next year’s deficit could top $13 billion. Some Democratic state lawmakers have called for more loophole closings to force spe- cial interests to pay their fair share of the state’s costs. Other Democratic legislators have proposed reinstituting the Ve- hicle License Fee (VLF), which would raise an estimated $6 bil- lion or more annually. Even as educators and Demo- cratic lawmakers push for more revenues, Republican state law- makers have reiterated their con- tinuing opposition to any tax in- creases. In a letter sent to Gov. Schwarzenegger in late October, these GOP legislators put in writing again their refusal to vote for any revenue boosts. They in- sist that the state should balance its budget solely by making ad- ditional cuts. In November, they reiterated their opposition to any tax increases, including those proposed by the governor. Already, CTA and its coalition partners have been receiving new information about the impact of the devastating cuts on local schools. (See story, page 18.) Districts have already been forced to eliminate class size re- duction and music, arts and sports programs, lay off teachers, classified employees and other staff, and eliminate such basic supplies as copy paper. This year, the budget cycle appears to many to have no end and no beginning. As lawmakers argue over new revenues and budget cuts to balance the 2008 budget, the governor is prepar- ing his budget proposal for the 2009-10 fiscal year. len FelDman Sign up to be a CTA budget advocate by e-mailing budgetadvocates@cta. org. Get in touch with your chapter to become part of the Legislative Contact Team, which is spearhead- ing the efforts to persuade local law- makers to protect public education and raise new revenues. 36 California Educator | november 2008 CTA photo by Len Feldman