When I was growing up in the 1960's, California was The Place to get a teaching credential and to teach. Great teachers came from all over to work in our schools and become part of our communities.

Now, because of our Governor's ignorance, our best teachers have been "Pinked" and are being lured away by Texas, Nevada and other states -- lured with signing bonuses & lower living costs and better wages. We train them -- they're grabbing them.

And once we have gotten through this mess and the governator has finally come to his senses (hopefully before December), the best, the brightest, and the youngest will all be gone -- exhausted by the insecurities of California's "Pink March". Yeah, that's gonna help our kids compete in a global economy.

Thank goodness our Superintendent, Dr Arriaga, has the confidence in Ventura's Moms and in the citizenry of California, to refuse to play the pink slip game. But we are still affected by the Governator's stupidity.

So what is our next step? I think we should gather our children and teens and march to the nearest state prison and demand entry -- they have the money to educate, to offer social services, interventions, health care, all with room & board. So before our kids have to be there, let's have them demand equal rights with our state prisoners!

Imagine what those prisoners could have done with their lives if only California cared to give them what they needed when they were younger.

We cannot afford to wait until Lucas Zucker of Foothill HS runs for state office to end this crisis once and for all. We need voices now to keep California's priorities on education, not incarceration.

Write and call your state assembly members and senators. Inundate the governator's office with the noise of disapproval. Vote for the voices we know will fight for education.

And thank you Hannah Beth, Pedro and Jill for walking with us yesterday.