Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/42291
ACTION continued from page 35 SOS rallies For those unable to make the trek to D.C., a parallel rally in Sacramento was sponsored by California Save Our Schools activists and organized by Student CTA. "A lot of us here in California didn't have the means to get to Washington, so we brainstormed and ended up creating our own rally," says organizer Amy Mayfield, president of the Student CTA chapter at CSU Chico. "It was fantastic! The people who came were excited and full of energy, and we appreciated having them there." "We definitely felt a kinship with those who were in Washington," adds Mayfield. "We are all fighting the same battle. It's time legislators stopped pushing their bot- tom line and began listening to ours. If we don't speak up for our classrooms, who will? We need to start demanding change in our classroom." Of the hundreds attending the Sac- ramento rally, about half were teachers and half were students. Among attendees were Assembly Member Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento) and CTA Board member Toby Boyd. "My hat goes off to Student CTA and the members who put their hearts and a great deal of enthusiasm into this," says Boyd, who addressed the crowd. "It was really nice to have something on the West Coast to represent teachers and students. We may not have had Matt Damon, but we had representation from our mem- bers. And hopefully what happened will be used as a springboard to continue fighting for schools." Cody says SOS March organizers plan to build on the momentum, and are working on a "transition process" to turn it into a movement with representatives from dif- ferent constituencies throughout the U.S. Visit www.saveourschoolsmarch.org to stay informed about the next steps. By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Mapping new political lines Redistricting could bring more funding to schools THE CALIFORNIA CITIZENS Redistrict- ing Commission has released final maps of new legislative and congressional districts, which will be used for the next 10 years, commencing with the 2012 elections. Districts are redrawn every 10 years to reflect the latest census figures. In the past the new lines have been drawn by the Legis- lature, but with the passage of Propositions 11 and 20, a citizens' commission was estab- lished to draw the new lines this year. The resulting changes — which affect the shape and the voter base in every Assembly, Sen- ate and congressional district in the state — have the potential to help public education. With a bit of hard work by CTA members before and during the 2012 primary and general elec- tions, a new crop of elected officials committed to secur- ing desperately needed rev- enues for schools could be put in office. Constrained by constitu- tional provisions and court decisions, the commission was charged with drawing districts that fairly represent minority groups, include communities of interest, and connect geographically. The final maps they have created could be challenged in the courts or subjected to ref- erenda, but language in the initiatives creat- ing the commission and expanding its duties requires that any such challenges must be handled expeditiously so that new maps can used for the 2012 elections. Redistricting could have significant implications for the state budget process. If the results of the 2012 elections create a new supermajority in the Legislature, it might be possible to raise new state revenues on a simple majority vote. Current law allows the Legislature to approve a state budget on a simple majority vote, but raising new state revenues still requires a two-thirds supermajority of both houses of the Legisla- ture. During the 2011 budget stalemate, the state was held in the grip of a small group of anti-tax lawmakers whose votes were needed 36 California Educator / September 2011 to approve any new revenues or change in the tax structure. As a result, the governor and legislators were forced to balance the state budget with massive cuts and defer- rals. Although they tried hard to spare edu- cation, school funding has been cut by more than $18 billion over the past three years. To restore funding for schools and to boost appropriations to the level they were during Gov. Reagan's term, Californians will need to elect more centrist lawmakers willing to support revenue increases and tax fairness. Redistricting could have significant implications for the state budget process. Schools could also ben- efit if more pro-education members of Congress were elected as a result of redis- tricting. Positive changes could be made in the Ele- mentary and Secondary Education Act, which has still not been reauthorized; the federal tax structure could be changed to provide more federal funding for schools; and special interests could be called upon to pay their fair share for public services. More pro-education members of Congress could also speed up the ongoing efforts to eliminate provisions in the Social Security law that penalize pub- lic employees, including educators in Cali- fornia. Many lose Social Security benefits they earned before going into education or benefits earned by non-teaching spouses. Story by Len Feldman MORE INFO For more information about the maps, visit the Citizens Redistricting Commission website: wedrawthelines.ca.gov/maps-final-drafts.