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Your letters: State budget cuts and California students
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Turn state around
Are you freakin' kidding me? Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking for billions of mostly borrowed money to upgrade our prisons while at the same time cutting millions of dollars from our public school system at the expense of our children's education. How does that even make sense? Excuse me if I lack compassion for our criminals who are incarcerated for whatever crimes they committed, but it seems there is something wrong with this picture.
If California ranks 46th in the nation in spending on educating our children and grandchildren, then what is he thinking? I never voted for this megalomaniac, has-been action star, but I recall him claiming he couldn't be bought or influenced by special groups. My letter could never be printed if I said exactly how angry I am after reading the article on prisons. Arnold has proved to be just another millionaire politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth. It seems he has his priorities mixed up, but then, not surprising, since he sends his children to private schools.
We need to kick these politicians out of office and turn our state around and get our priorities straight and make California a great place to educate our children.
— Manny Godinez, Thousand Oaks
Meat-cleaver budgeting
California's budget crisis was not caused by our students or schools, so let's not punish the victims. Instead, let's demand that our elected officials have open and honest conversations about new revenues as well as cuts. There is a group that takes this message to our local legislators.
Since 1988 the Tri-Counties Education Coalition has been a partnership among parents, teachers, school support staff, administrators and school board members. We are one of the oldest education coalitions in California, and we advocate for schools and children in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Three times each year, TCEC hosts speakers who are educational leaders. This year, we heard from Rep. Lois Capps, California Teachers Association President David Sanchez and the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara county superintendents of schools. To a person, the state budget crisis and the governor's brutal proposal was the No. 1 topic. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gets his way, schools will find their revenues slashed, employees will lose their jobs, class sizes will rise, electives will disappear and children will suffer.
In May, the TCEC will visit Sacramento and lobby our legislators. Our message will be simple: Protect kids, protect schools and protect our future. On a local level, we would ask that everyone contact their state representatives; tell them that the meat-cleaver method of budgeting is unacceptable, and hurting children will not be tolerated.
— Chris Ungar, President, Tri-Counties Education Coalition, Guadalupe, Calif.
Posted by micarobt on April 20, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Manny of Thousand Oaks: If you are one of the millions of Californians who voted for any "get tough on crime" laws in the last 30 years, you are partially responsible for this situtation. How so? (If you are not a person who always votes for any crime measure, my apologies. But please read on anyway.) Because you and millions of others have bought a lie: that by imprisoning tens of thousands of people, many of whom are non-violent, you are safer. Actually, you are about to be poorer. That's because there are choices in this world: if we choose to imprison more people than any other state and for longer and longer periods of time, we must also face the responsibility of paying for all that "safety." As time goes on, there are tens of thousands more prisoners who are getting older and older. They get chronic diseases just like everyone else. They require health care just like anyone else. Only they're there on YOUR dime. So please be responsible and pay up.
Posted by ItsMyOpinion on April 20, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This state is saving felons by sacrificing innocent children. Politicians continue to amass wealth while the middle class is virtually disappearing and only children of the wealthy have a chance for a quality education. Illegal aliens are guaranteed increasing "rights" that supersede Constitutional rights of legal citizens. Available funding and grants are targeted to these groups and money that would primarily be used for programs for young and aging CITIZENS is redirected into programs serving illegals(e.g., NCLB, housing, healthcare). California is not alone in this but it does rank as a leader working toward the systematic destruction of our own nation. Just my opinion. I think we should help third-world countries but we can't do that and also exchange our own citizenry with people who blatantly refuse to become citizens. The consequence is that Americans (both born here and naturalized) are pushed out and left to fend as best they can.
Posted by nplocal on April 22, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To be completely honest I am actually kind of suprised that teacher unions have not been making a bigger of these budget cuts to the media. I think the education budget cuts are a big problem for our children. Yes parents can do their part but the state politicians are more likely to listen to parents if they are backed by the unions.
If California were it's own country it would be one of the top 10 richest countries in the world, yet if these education budget cuts go through we will be 50th in the nation for educational spending.
Within the next month many of our children in grades 3-11 will be taking the S.T.A.R. test. In addition high school students need to take the high school exit exam. If there is a high school exit exam then why is the S.T.A.R test also given to high school students.....isn't that just redundant??? How much money is spent each year on these state given exams, that I sadly would say most students don't really try on anyway. How much does it cost to give this test to one student? Consider the printing of the test booklets, test answer sheets, shipping of the tests to the school and then back to be graded, and the actual grading of the tests. Now I am not claiming to know the exact figure but I would guess somewhere between $25 - $45 per student. Now lets take the lower number of that estimate and multiply it by howe many students take the test. Lets just say we have 5 million students who take the S.T.A.R. test annually. That would be $125million dollars each year budgeted towards, and lets be really honest, a test that most students do not take seriously.....not to mention that it is a redundant test since all students need to also take the California High School Exit Exam.
The State is not supporting our children so maybe we shouldn't support the state on S.T.A.R. testing. This can't be promoted by school employees but it can be promoted by parents. What if parents boycotted the S.T.A.R. testing and did not allow their children to take the test. I know this may seem like a radical idea to some, but things have to get done to show more of the public what is happening to our education system and children.
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