Outrage

[first published: January 31, 2008]

Something horrific is about to happen. Our governor is about to skin 30% of his deficit (4.8 billion dollars) from the backs his state's own schools (housing millions of children). For us locally, that will mean almost $10 million dollars will be taken away from PUSD.

I know the city's heart has been hardened over the years to PUSD (part of which, as I have written about on this blog, is due to our paper's ruthless propaganda going back for years) but surely Pasadena will not abandon this number of children, teachers and PUSD staff who will be affected by this.

These cuts are on the same magnitude as those from Proposition 13 in 1978.

It is unbelievable how quickly this came up, I mean California went from "surplus" to "severe deficit" in what seemed like one year. Now they are proposing Proposition 13-like cuts to education?? (only these cuts are DICTATED, not voted in!).

this is the SAME man who recently promised he would dedicate 2008 as the "Year of Education".

An excellent group, the Education Coalition, a group of more than 1.7 million people, is fighting this (and I will be following their efforts).

this is their website http://www.protectourstudents.org/

Here, also, are some articles and information from their website:

What does a $4.8 billion cut to California public schools look like?

* Shutting down every school across the state for nearly one month.
* Laying off more than 107,000 teachers.
* Increasing class sizes statewide by as much as 35%.
* Reducing per-student spending by more than $800.
* Laying off over 137,000 bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, maintenance workers, and other education support professionals.
* Cutting more than $24,000 per classroom.
* Cutting $7.76 million per school district.
* Eliminating all music, art and career technical education programs statewide with room to cut even more.

$4.8 Billion for Education is Equivalent to:
$800 per student
$24,000 per classroom
$7.6 million per school district
(Assuming district enrollment of 10,000)


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Teacher layoffs may result from budget crunch

From The Bakersfield Californian
By TARA MCLAUGHLIN

http://www.protectourstudents.org/teacher-layoffs-may-result-from-budget-crunch/

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School District braces for state budget cuts

From Peninsula News
By Chris Boyd

http://www.protectourstudents.org/school-district-braces-for-state-budget-cuts/

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Parents, teachers, school board members detail devastating impact of state budget cuts to bay area schools

http://www.protectourstudents.org/parents-teachers-school-board-members-detail-devasting-impact-of-state-budget-cuts-to-bay-area-schools/

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Along with others, these cuts are attacking our city's most vulnerable population, the children of the poor.