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October 30, 2008 Email from Julie White, ACSA Assistant Executive Director, Communications As a follow-up to this week’s emails and news reports about a special session of the Legislature and cuts to education funding, I wanted to ensure you have our most recent talking points.
Our most recent focus groups make clear we need to remind the public that
schools have been cut by more than $3 billion and schools need ongoing, stable
revenues now more than ever. Our goal is to focus the public's attention on the
need for ongoing, stable revenues for schools, and to avoid conversations about
what might be cut next at the local level. Conjecture dilutes our main message
that schools have been cut by more than $3 billion and schools need ongoing,
stable revenues. Education Coalition Budget Talking PointsThe Education Coalition position remains steadfast and clear: any further cuts to education in addition to the recent $3 billion slashed from this year’s budget would be a catastrophe for California’s students.Our state is facing serious problems, and that means we need serious solutions from our leaders to invest in our students’ future. Gimmicks, more borrowing and kicking the budget can down the road didn’t work – and now it’s time to implement a real budget solution that doesn’t hurt California’s students. Our schools need stable and on-going revenues.Already ranking 46th out of 50 states in the nation in per-pupil spending, California’s schools were forced this year to accept $500 million in cuts in the middle of the school year and $3 billion in additional cuts in the 2009-09 state budget.These cuts directly impact students in the classroom, whether through increasing class sizes, laying off teachers, classified employees and other staff, eliminating music, art and sports programs, or cutting off access to basic supplies (like copy paper) for instruction.They also mean fewer bus routes to get students to and from school, significantly reduced custodial services, less adult supervision on campus, and even fewer school counselors and other support staff.Cuts are already hurting our students in districts across the state. Here are some examples:· At Rosedale Elementary School District in Bakersfield, they’ve already cut class size reduction programs for Kindergarten.· At Plumas Unified School District, they are being forced to cut back on library hours and services, as well as Special Education.· At Torrance Unified School District, they are being forced to cut their entire night custodial crew, as well as food and health services.· The PTA in Capistrano is being asked to fund basic school needs, including raising money to fund a school librarian, as well as art and music programs for grades K-3 and basic items like paper and markers.· Teachers in Sonoma County bring in their own copy paper and pay for field trips.Those are just a few examples of the devastating impact of cuts to California’s schools across the state.For the entire year of 2008, parents, teachers, principals, board members, school employees and other educators warned of the devastating impact of budget cuts on California’s students. The Education Coalition continues to urge leaders to provide a real budget solution with on-going and long-term funding for our schools so that all students can meet the high expectations the state has set for them. To that end, further education cuts put our children’s future and the economic future of the state at risk.
Julie
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