[BHS etree] PTSA: Budget Alert From California State PTA

[bhs at idiom.com]

Below is a budget Information Alert from the 
California State PTA.  The Governor will be 
submitting his revised budget proposal by January 
15, 2009.  The latest impact we've heard for 
Berkeley's schools is $3.5 million (ranging 
between $3 million and $6 million).  We'll keep 
you posted.

Mark van Krieken
BHS PTSA President


California State PTA
Informational Alert
December 5, 2008

Tough Times for Our Schools and Our Children
As a new legislative session begins this week, we 
are increasing our efforts to demand that our 
legislators act responsibly to reach a solution 
that does not make further devastating cuts to 
education and children's programs.  The stakes 
could not be higher.

Legislators and the governor must work to address 
the state’s budget shortfall, which is projected 
to grow to $27 billion or more over the next 19 
months.
<http://www.lao.ca.gov/2008/bud/nov_revise/nov_revise_overview_111108.pdf>Legislative 
Analyst's Report
<http://www.lao.ca.gov/2008/bud/nov_revise/nov_revise_overview_111108.pdf>http://www.lao.ca.gov/2008/bud/nov_revise/nov_revise_overview_111108.pdf

Proposed cuts would have a catastrophic effect

California's total school funding could be cut by 
$8 billion in 2008-09 if lawmakers don't vote for 
new revenues. For kindergarten through high 
school schools alone this would mean a cut of 
$7.2 billion.

These cuts are equivalent to:

Shutting down every school across the state for 25 days,
Increasing class sizes statewide by more than 50 percent,
Reducing per-student spending by almost $1,200,
Laying off 160,000 classroom teachers or 180,000 
bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, 
maintenance workers, and other education support 
professionals,
Cutting more than $31,500 per classroom,
Cutting $12.4 million per school district 
(assuming 10,000 students in the school) or 
eliminating all music, art and career technical 
education

<http://www.protectourstudents.org/category/press-releases/>Education 
Coalition Press Briefing  
<http://www.protectourstudents.org/category/press-releases/>http://www.protectourstudents.org/category/press-releases/

Our state already has some of the most 
overcrowded classrooms and the greatest shortages 
of librarians, counselors and other critical 
support staff in the nation. Even before this 
year’s most recent, devastating budget cuts, 
California already ranked 46th out of 50 states 
in per pupil funding, according to Education Week.

And many of these cuts would come in the middle 
of the school year when local school budgets have 
already been set.

Upcoming Activities

PTA members across the state must get ready to 
raise your voices again! Thanks to your efforts, 
we were able to raise awareness about the impact 
of devastating cuts, and prevent even more 
harmful funding reductions last year. But the 
worsening budget situation will require even more 
effort this coming year. It’s very tough, given 
the state’s economic condition, but it would be 
shortsighted and even more harmful for 
legislators to undermine future generations by 
failing to enact responsible revenue increases.

Next week, PTA leaders will participate with 
Education Coalition partners in a series of media 
events in cities throughout the state. Your 
volunteer advocates in Sacramento will also be 
meeting with legislators. In the coming weeks, we 
will continue emailing you alerts asking you to 
take specific actions such as contacting your 
local legislators or participating in local 
events.

Key Points to Communicate

It’s important that we speak with a unified voice 
on behalf of all children. Some of the key points 
to communicate:


Further cuts will have catastrophic consequences 
for California’s schools, and students.



The time to raise revenues and invest in California’s future is now.



It is beyond reckless to make billions more in 
cuts to schools in the middle of the school year. 
 We shouldn’t turn back the clock on California’s 
students because of a budget mess they didn’t 
create.



Our schools need stable, on-going revenues to 
ensure that students have the resources they need 
to succeed.



Providing flexibility without adequate funding 
raises false hope that schools can do more with 
even fewer resources, while the real crisis 
facing our students is potentially billions more 
in cuts to classrooms.



Our elected leaders need to be reminded of what 
hard-working Californians already know: 
devastating cuts to public education are 
undermining our state's future. That’s why 
parents, teachers and other educators across 
California are united against further mid-year 
budget cuts.



California already spends $1,900 less per student 
than the national average. The “Getting Down to 
Facts” studies from Stanford University show that 
California seriously underfunds its public 
schools and would need to spend 40 percent more 
to ensure that all students meet the state’s 
rigorous academic standards. The studies also 
show that other states like New York spend 75 
percent more on students than California.



California business leaders say the best way to 
improve our economy is to make sure we have a 
well-educated work force. The governor and 
lawmakers must make California’s students a top 
priority.  Refusing to support solutions to raise 
revenues for schools shortchanges our students 
and California’s future.


Update on Recent Events and Activities in Sacramento.

New legislators sworn in

Earlier this week the State Senate and Assembly 
swore in members for the 2009-10 legislative 
session. There are 12 new senators – all of whom 
previously served in the Assembly.  Of the 31 new 
Assembly members, three previously served in the 
Senate and 25 have no previous legislative 
experience.

The senate also has a new leader: Darrel 
Steinberg (D-Sacramento) officially became Senate 
President Pro Tempore. He now joins Senate 
Republican Leader Dave Cogdill (R–Fresno), 
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D–Los Angeles), and 
Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines 
(R-Clovis) among the legislative leaders.

Governor calls for another special session

Soon after the swearing in, Governor 
Schwarzenegger called for a new special session 
of the legislature to address the budget.  In a 
press conference, the Governor told legislators 
to get out of their “ideological sandboxes” and 
make decisions based on the “common good.”

During the special session called in November, 
legislators were unable to reach a solution. On 
November 25, proposals to raise $8.1 billion in 
new revenues and enact $8.1 billion in cuts 
failed to pass in the legislature. More than $4 
billion in additional cuts to education were 
proposed, but did not become law because revenue 
increase proposals failed.

<http://www.dof.ca.gov/documents/special_session_08-09_web.pdf>Governor's 
Budget Special Session
<http://www.dof.ca.gov/documents/special_session_08-09_web.pdf>http://www.dof.ca.gov/documents/special_session_08-09_web.pdf