Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/726969
YES ON PROP. 52: Keep a Good Idea Working YesProp52 #Keepthegoodidea bit.ly/2bVDOEf Proposition 52 will help ensure that kids come to school ready to learn. Through a partnership between the state and local hospitals, Cali- fornia has received more than $18 billion in federal funding to improve health care for children, seniors and working families. This arrangement, which involves hospital fees based on Medi-Cal utilization, will end in 2017 unless Prop. 52 is passed. The partnership benefits children more than any other group in Cali- fornia, as they make up more than half of all Medi-Cal users. Prop. 52 will allow for federal funds to con- tinue to support Medi-Cal, freeing up state funding to be spent on other critical programs. Medi-Cal has played a vital role in keeping our state's children healthy for 50 years. For their sake and for our state's future, we must pass Prop. 52. Prop. 58 amends the law and removes barriers to school districts to ensure all stu- dents can learn English as quickly as possible. " We need Prop. 58 to stop this cookie-cutter approach to education," said Jesse Aguilar, a high school visual arts teacher and vice president of the Kern High School Teachers Association, in a televised panel discussion on KCET in early September. " Why tie the hands of educators? Why tie the hands of school districts and parents?" Prop. 58 restores local control to schools and gives parents a bigger voice. It allows educators and districts to choose the most effective language instruction methods to help students learn, and gives parents the ability to choose a language acqui- sition program that best suits their child. "All kids are different and all kids learn differently," Aguilar said. "So there needs to be an opportunity for those kids to learn the best method that works for them." Some educators have noticed an even greater benefit to students learning another language. "It expands children's understanding and acceptance of others," says Lourdes Cassetta, Chico Unified Teachers Association member and first-grade dual immersion teacher. "It gives them perspective of what it's like to be in a different culture." Adelanto educator Ruby Sandoval with students in her dual immersion (English and Spanish) class at Victoria Magathan Elementary School. Jesse Aguilar 33 September 2016 33 September 2016 TODAY — AND TOMORROW? PUBLIC EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA TODAY Currently, California: • Ranks 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending. • Faces a severe teacher shortage. The state needs to hire more than 22,000 additional teachers this year alone. • Still has a need for more education support professionals like library aides, bus drivers and custodians. • Has a dwindling pipeline. In 2008, almost 45,000 people were enrolled in teacher prepa- ration programs in California. In 2013, there were fewer than 20,000.