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Educators, parents protest proposed school cuts
Rallies held over revised governor's state budget plan
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More from Education: K-12While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's revised state budget backs off some threatened cuts in education, local teachers, administrators and parents still rallied Wednesday night to protest the possible elimination of programs.
Teachers in Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Simi Valley and Calabasas organized simultaneous rallies on street corners to voice their concerns.
"California has placed education funding on a roller coaster," said Arleigh Kidd, executive director of the United Association of Conejo Teachers. "(The budget) is better than what the governor proposed in January, but it's not as good as it should be," he said.
Schwarzenegger's budget will boost education funding by about $1.8 billion in the 2008-09 fiscal year compared to the current year's spending. Schools still would lose about $4 billion in anticipated revenue because the plan would not include program cost-of-living increases.
The revised budget takes Proposition 98 — the state's minimum funding guarantee for schools — off the chopping block and does provide some breathing room.
Adding the anticipated $5.1 billion in lottery bond revenue and saving the $4 billion in education spending leaves Sacramento with some $6 billion in cuts needed to balance the state budget.
Standing at Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, Conejo Valley Unified School District Superintendent Mario Contini and about 40 teachers, parents and district officials carried signs and waved at passing motorists, who honked their horns in support.
With the revised state budget, Conejo Valley Unified School District Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Baarstad said the board would have to cut about $4.3 million in the general budget instead of the projected $8.1 million.
However, some programs still could be threatened, Contini said.
"It's better news, but we still have to be careful," he said. "Where will the money come from? We have to make sure that we don't make the situation worse."
Baarstad said state legislators are taking heed of parents' displeasure of the budget.
"It's made the biggest impact," Baarstad said.
Members from local Parent Teachers Association and other groups intend to join another rally Friday morning at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, said Aleta Smith, Conejo Council Parent Teacher Association president.
Members of the Simi Educators Association gathered Wednesday at Sycamore Drive and Cochran Street and near Simi Valley Town Center.
Dayle Gillick, president of the Simi Educators Association, said teachers and parents still must continue to fight for children's education.
"Until we get the final word (from legislators), it's still a wait-and-see situation," Gillick said. "It's a step in the right direction but we are still 46th in the nation in per pupil spending. We have a long way to go."
David Gomez, Santa Paula Union High School District superintendent, said the revised budget means officials still have to cut $100,000 to $200,000.
The district already has eliminated eight administrative and staff positions, Gomez said.
"So far, we have had to cut $600,000 from this year to the next," Gomez said. "Even though Proposition 98 will be funded, we're still not out of the woods. What will happen the following year? That's my concern."
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by MOffermann on May 15, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is it the first thing that gets cut is education? How is it fair to our children to be pushed aside? There has go to be some alternatives to this. . there HAS to be.
Posted by holdenon_2000 on May 15, 2008 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When a company has lay-offs, they usually cut the most in-efficient people. Since our schools are extremely in-efficient by failing in keeping our children on top, we need to make changes. Some times change is scary, but what else are we supposed to do, keep paying teachers, who are not accomplishing their tasks. How is it that Japan, Germany, UK spends far less money per student, and their children are more advanced? How is it that a Home Schooled student wins the spelling bee? How is it that Teachers work less than the average full time employee, yet constantly are complaining that they are not paid enough. I say cut the administration, not the teachers, but I agree we need to cut spending, because the more we spend does not result in higher educated children. Make the schools that have higher success rates, get higher teacher compensation. I bet if teachers were paid according to their performance, we would have better teachers. Its sort of like paying a lawyer who looses all his cases the same as the lawyer who wins. It just does not make sense. A teachers success can be measured, by testing student prior to being assigned to an instructor, and then re-testing them after the instruction is finished. The teachers who show the most improvement get the better pay, the ones who show little or no improvement, get less pay, and could be terminated.
Posted by imp9824 on May 15, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Do you want teachers to be paid on their performance, or on the performance of the students on some standardized test, where the students do not have negative consequences if they perform poorly?
Those are two very different scenarios.
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