I AM TIRED of watching our teachers and kids be used as political ping pong balls in the games they play up in Sacramento.
This is how it goes every time there are state budget troubles: The governor proposes a draconian budget in January which will slash spending across the board and suspend guaranteed Prop. 98 monies, and then nothing is decided by our battling legislators until late in the summer. It puts our schools in the untenable position of having to make budget decisions many months before they will actually know what their funding levels will be.
You see, the deadline for letting teachers know whether or not they will have jobs next year is this Saturday. So classrooms across the state are being dismantled now in anticipation of $4.4 billion in budget cuts. It will be up to school administrators to try to put them back together again next fall if the situation improves.
The Ventura Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday night approved a calculated move to minimize the potential damage of $4 million in budget cuts: the use of one-time funds combined with budget reductions to balance the 2008-09 budget.
The shifting of funds, or "robbing Peter to pay Paul," as Board Member Velma Lomax called it, will still result in the loss of 12 regular education teachers, a decrease in counselors, reduced funding for librarians and technology staff, no funding for any equipment purchases and reduced funding for staff development.
Superintendent Trudy Arriaga called the district's funding strategy "unusual."
"This has happened so fast and so furious we are doing what we can to get by until we have some certainty. You only do this when it's raining, and it's pouring," she said.
IF EDUCATION CUTS CONTINUE in the 2009-10 school year, district officials said, class sizes could increase in all grades, and trimming could be done in athletic programs, counseling, special education, health programs, child care, after-school programs, teacher support, adult education, administration and support staff, maintenance, equipment, supplies, technology and child nutrition services -- basically everything the school district does.
"The following year, we won't be just not fixing things," Arriaga said. "We won't be serving."
California is already 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending. We're $2,000 below the national average, despite being the eighth largest economy in the world. Yet, our governor has proposed spending $800 less per-pupil in his latest budget.
"This budget leaves all children behind," Arriaga said.
With our teachers and students the ping pong balls, I know just what I'd like to do with those paddles. Are you listening, Sacramento?
You are right on Marie- the situation is a disgrace. The problem with having the state fund public education is that our schools are subject each year to the ups and downs of the state economy and whims of the governor and legislature at the time, and the schools have no budgeting autonomy or real power to decide their own fates. The state never "over-funds" or puts Money away for schools in good economic years; it just cuts and cuts in bad years. It's time for schools and school districts to get to keep local tax $ and do their own budgets, and to take the state government out of the budgeting picture entirely. It's no wonder Johnny can't read.
Maybe it's time to think about getting rid of some of those tax loopholes like the one for yacht owners.
It's a sad system we have now. I read that the governor was thinking about closing those tax loopholes to generate more revenue, but the Republicans in the legislature won't budge on that one. Guess they like yacht owner more than they like kids!
Being 47th in the nations spending on our children is simply embarrassing to me. Our state and our Governor should be ashamed. I am also confused. What gives the Governator the right to steal our Prop 98 money, promise to pay it back and then steal some more!! isn't stealing against the law. At best he is a liar. Our PTA's PFSO's and other parent organizations such as SOS have worked their tails off to give our children what they rightly deserve. I remember when you, Marie, helped organize a rally that caught Sacramento's attention in a big way. Dr. Arriaga is talking of possibly having another. We need all of the support we can get for this. The effect of these cuts will be devastating. According to Dr. Arriaga, if every administrator was laid off in VUSD, that includes herself , there would not be close to $4,000,000.00 saved. All of this also makes me wonder....Where do the Governor's children go to school?
Yesterday the Assembly Democrats tried to pass a 6 percent tax on oil drilling, and a 2 percent tax on oil income and profits exceeding $10 million a year.
The plan would have generated $1.2 billion a year, all of which would have gone to public schools.
It lost in a 45-30 vote along party lines. As a tax increase it needed a two-thirds majority. Of course we know who voted against it. Kids don't stand a chance with those Big-Oil loving Republicans.
I wouldn't put the onus entirely on Schwarzenegger here.
The fact that the education of our youth is so obviously low on the priority list of our state and country is a disgrace and embarrassment. I'm angry that no matter how hard we work to build an educational environment where children can thrive, it keeps getting bullied, harrassed, and robbed--by the very people who are supposed to be our protectors. Absolutely unbelievable.
Greetings Marie from your neighbor three houses down! I truly
enjoyed reading your comments and observations on such a wide
variety of issues concerning our community, and agree with
virtually all you say. It's a pleasure after sixteen years of
being your neighbor to have such positive insight into your
srtong ethics and values. I am proud to be your neighbor.
Take care,
Kitty
That's sweet, Kitty. Thanks!
Only eight comments? Parents - where are you? Please show your support for our schools by attending the rally at Buena High School, Friday, April 18th, 4:00 p.m.! If you care about your children's education, please show up!
No School Superintendent Left Behind
Former Ventura County School Superintendent Charles Weis leaves to new $285,000 job that comes with a no-interst million dollar home loan
see:
http://www.dailynewsgroup.com/article/2008-4-18-scc-weis
Maybe if chuck worked as hard for county education as he did for getting his new job......