SACRAMENTO, CA — Today CFT– A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals released the following statement from President Jeff Freitas on the California Legislature passing a state budget that contains record-breaking investments in California students:

“This budget recognizes there is no better way for California to build back better than to invest in public education. From transitional kindergarten all the way through community college and the University of California, this budget makes historic investments in all of our students, setting them and our state up for long-term success.

“In passing this budget the Legislature affirmed decades of advocacy from educators and classified professionals, centering the socio-emotional and physical well-being of our students, which we know is critical to their development and their success both in and out of the classroom. 

“In the coming years we look forward to building on the foundation set by this unprecedented budget, to once again make California’s public schools the top in funding and the envy of the nation. As part of that ongoing commitment to our students and our schools, we will continue to advocate for a tax on extreme wealth in California. California’s billionaires have increased their wealth by hundreds of billions of dollars since the pandemic began, and our state must recognize this growing inequity by taxing that wealth to fully fund our schools and invest in our communities.” 

###

CFT: A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT. More information at www.cft.org.