EC / K-12 NEWS

• Organizing victory for N. CA early childhood educators
• "No Child Left Behind" reauthorization info
• CFT participates in Ed Source "Convening" October 19
• "No public education by corporation," by George Martinez
• New research supports investing in effective pre-K
• "No Time to Quit," by Miles Myers
• CFT Position Paper on Charter Schools (pdf)
• What CFT members can do about the state budget crisis

Budget protest hints of what's to come

On April 21, thousands of students, along with college and university instructors, staff, administrators, parents, politicians, and other supporters, converged on Sacramento for a rally against higher education budget cuts.  They came from across the state to present the legislature and governor with a picture of what the proposed cuts would look like.  Their hope was that the show of commitment and public spirit would change the minds of decision-makers who seem to think that slashing an already-skeletal budget further is preferable to raising taxes. 

The largest contingent came from San Francisco.  AFT Local 2121, the San Francisco Community College Federation of Teachers, sent eleven busloads of students and faculty.  CCSF student Shawn Yee gave a great speech, according to AFT 2121 president Ed Murray, and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi did too.  English instructor Alisa Messer carried a sign that read, “Tax the rich, not community college students.”  Students bore placards reading, “Tax the top 1% to fund education.”

Smaller rallies took place elsewhere in the state on the same day.  In Los Angeles, one hundred fifty people came out to Pershing Square.  About a third were from the Glendale College Guild, AFT Local 2276.  Other rallies occured in San Diego and Riverside.

In the governor’s January budget proposal, he asked the community college chancellor’s office to identify one-time reductions totaling $40 million, to come from already allocated monies that have not yet been spent on various programs.  The chancellor’s office found $31 million in these categories.  The governor accepted this self-mutilation as adequate, and that was the number the legislature was working with until the bad news arrived about the property tax shortfall, which, if left untouched by legislative hands, would result in a further cut of $129 million.

The CFT is working on coordinated efforts with other education organizations and allies in the labor movement and broader community to convince the public and elected officials in Sacramento that at least some of the budget deficit must be made up through fair tax policies. 

• Back to main budget crisis page