Is the Governor Joking?
I scratched my head in disbelief this afternoon when I picked up the newspaper and read:
Is he kidding? This week I've been thinking of little else than the staggering impact of cutting $40 million from our district's budget -- the fallout from the Governor's current budget proposal to cut $4 billion from education statewide. Three fabulous teachers at our school have received layoff notices -- including K/1st grade teacher Kristen Vogel, whose teacher husband was also pink-slipped (the family may have to withdraw an offer for a home they finally thought they could afford); my daughter's 2nd grade teacher also got a layoff notice.
Enough is enough. If the Governor won't get real, the Democrats need to make him. I haven't read the committee's full report yet, but according to the Chronicle, it contains some controversial recommendations, like merit pay for teachers and preventing 4-year-olds from entering Kindergarten. No matter. It's just a cruel joke to play politics with teachers' livelihoods and the health of our schools, even while acknowledging the vast increase in resources that will be needed to achieve true reform.
As one speaker said at the UESF rally this past Tuesday, I'm tired of hearing that our local elected representatives are behind us in our outrage; it's high time for them to get out in front of us and find some solutions to this crisis. What is clear to me is not just that the state needs to adequately fund education; but that California needs to completely overhaul the way it funds and supports schools. The evidence for this has been in for a long time, from the avalanche of Getting Down to Facts studies last year, to the newest report by the Governor's own blue ribbon committee.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's blue-ribbon committee on education released a list of sweeping recommendations Friday to overhaul California's public school system at an additional annual cost of $10.5 billion.
Is he kidding? This week I've been thinking of little else than the staggering impact of cutting $40 million from our district's budget -- the fallout from the Governor's current budget proposal to cut $4 billion from education statewide. Three fabulous teachers at our school have received layoff notices -- including K/1st grade teacher Kristen Vogel, whose teacher husband was also pink-slipped (the family may have to withdraw an offer for a home they finally thought they could afford); my daughter's 2nd grade teacher also got a layoff notice.
Enough is enough. If the Governor won't get real, the Democrats need to make him. I haven't read the committee's full report yet, but according to the Chronicle, it contains some controversial recommendations, like merit pay for teachers and preventing 4-year-olds from entering Kindergarten. No matter. It's just a cruel joke to play politics with teachers' livelihoods and the health of our schools, even while acknowledging the vast increase in resources that will be needed to achieve true reform.
As one speaker said at the UESF rally this past Tuesday, I'm tired of hearing that our local elected representatives are behind us in our outrage; it's high time for them to get out in front of us and find some solutions to this crisis. What is clear to me is not just that the state needs to adequately fund education; but that California needs to completely overhaul the way it funds and supports schools. The evidence for this has been in for a long time, from the avalanche of Getting Down to Facts studies last year, to the newest report by the Governor's own blue ribbon committee.
Labels: Education politics
1 Comments:
I would extend this to all public services:
*** California needs to completely overhaul the way it funds and supports schools. ***
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