Spontaneous Flashpoints Erupt on What California State Budget Cuts Mean to Local Schools

Californians as a General Principle Support Increased Funding of Education

Last May, we reviewed the Public Policy Institute of California’s extensive survey and said:

“When asked about whether the state should spend more money than it does now, the same amount, or less, strong majorities respond they want more spent on K-12 public education (72%)…

“In most of these areas, the numbers are nowhere close to any equivocation. Take K-12 education: 72% want more spent, 18% want the same amount spent, and miniscule 8% of Californians want less money spent. Likely voters want more spent by 65% to 12% who want less spent. Democrats are off the charts on this one, with 83% favoring more spending and 4% less. Even Republicans favor more spending by a margin of 51% to 17% for less--that's as close as it gets.”

But Most of the Time, Californians Do Not Pay Much Attention to the Budget

Every so often there is a poll of Californians with a question as to how closely they are following some state policy issue and the numbers are reported of the varying percentages of those who say they are following it, in the categories given by the pollster of something like “very closely, somewhat closely, not all that closely, or not at all.” The Field Poll conducted one such survey during the height of last year’s budget stalemate and the almost record setting delay in enacting a budget.

Field found in August of last year that just one in eight (12%) paying "a lot of attention" to the lawmakers' efforts to pass a state budget. Another one-third (37%) say they are giving some attention to the matter. However, a majority (51%) allow how they are paying "only a little" (34%) or "no attention" (17%) to the governor's and state legislature's attempts to pass a budget.

In fact, most Californians do not know where the state gets most of its revenue and where it spends its revenue. We wrote on May 31, 2007 about a Public Policy Institute of California Survey
that had just been released:

“Most Do Not Know Where the State Spends and Raises Most of Its Money

“K-12 education is by far and away the largest item in the budget, accounting for almost halv of the pie. While 30% of those polled correctly identified this as the largest item, 28% thought it was health and human services and 23% thought it was the correctional system. 10% thought it was higher education. Only 9% professed to not know. Likely voters responded essentially the same as non voters. A full 61% of Californians got this one wrong.

“The same result is had for the largest source of state revenues, where 31% of Californians and 37% of likely voters correctly chose the state personal income tax, but sizeable numbers of even voters (54%) wrongly picked either the sales tax, corporate tax, or even the motor vehicle fees, as the largest generator of funds.

“Combine the budget spending and tax pop quiz here and only 10% get both questions right.”

Why This Year is Different and There May be a Political Tsunami if Education is Seiously Cut

What makes this ever the more different from last year’s budget cuts, where there were few political penalties meted out by the voters are a combination of factors:

• The legislature has been able to postpone this day or reckoning and the real pain, but cannot do so this year unless taxes are raised. The Governor’s drastic set of cuts, including closing state parks and the like demonstrate that there are no easy cuts here to the state budget—certainly ones that amount to anything significant. The low hanging fruit has been plucked and the painful cuts have already begun with the package the legislature passed and sent to the Governor for this year’s budget with an effect of about $7 billion for next year. At least $8 billion more remains in the gap between revenue and the budget.

• The understanding of this is reaching local communities and voters are beginning to understand the real effects of budget cuts as pink slips go out to teachers last week and before the March 15 deadline.

• Cuts are affecting Republican as well as Democratic Districts.

• Students, who are starting to vote in record numbers with the Obama awakening are seeing that this affects them, and are beginning to protest the cuts in their communities and rallying parents and others to their side.

Consider the first major protest of these budget cuts, which came from students in the usually sleepy island town of Alameda who walked out of classes. This is what they said in their own words:

"Alameda is being hit really, really hard,"said Ian Merrifield, student body president at Encinal High School. "What we need to do is come together to show Sacramento that we don't accept this."

“Nichole Lopez, an Alameda High School student, said California's economy remains among the world's strongest — and certainly robust enough to fund public schools.

But more importantly, just take a look at a few of the articles in the last week from around the state and you will see that there is rumbling is coming not just from Democratic districts, but those of Republicans as well.

From Ramona, in Eastern San Diego County, one of the most Republican areas in the state: “Protests launched over plan to cut high school's agriculture program:”

“The agricultural program at Ramona High School, offered continuously since 1957, and its Future Farmers of America affiliation have been targeted by the school board for elimination.

“That has fans of agriculture in the semirural town hopping mad.

“About two dozen students and supporters of the ag program protested yesterday afternoon along Main Street, and plan to continue doing so for several more days.

“The kids are in an uproar and the community is in an uproar,” said Kimberley Smith, the agriculture teacher at the school.

“Agriculture is a big part of Ramona. Ramona loves agriculture.”

“That was evident yesterday as motorists responded by the hundreds with honking horns as they drove past the picketers holding signs that read “Honk. Save Ramona AG” and “Preserve Ramona Culture, Support Ramona Ag Program.”

From nearby Escondido, also Republican ground zero in the state:

"Dozens of San Pasqual High School students say Ben Stampfl is a great teacher and they don't think he should lose his job, which is in jeopardy because of plans to trim $3 million from the Escondido high school district's 2008-09 budget.

"Students from Stampfl's Advanced Placement U.S. history class said his commitment, passion and excitement for teaching spurred them to turn out at Tuesday night's board meeting to show their support for him.

"Eden Hesse and Mitzi Guevara were among students who held colorful signs and sat respectfully in the audience as their spokeswoman, JoLynn Earl, extolled their teacher's dedication to education. Stampfl, a first-year teacher, was not at the meeting.

"JoLynn said that although students understood that teacher layoffs are inevitable, such cuts are harder to accept when it means losing a favorite, dedicated teacher."

From behind the Orange Curtain, “Capistrano Unified parents plan trek to Sacramento today”:

"They are definitely hearing from us big time," said Kim Anderson, legislative chair for the Capistrano Unified Council of PTSAs. "This isn't the right way to balance the budget. It isn't right for kids in California."

From Stanislaus County, “ Anxiety rising in schools”:

“In school districts across Stanislaus County, nurses, counselors, teachers and custodians are at risk of having their positions cut. Administrators are freezing travel expenses and offering incentives for teachers to retire early. Some are looking into increasing class sizes or combining bus routes….

“Modesto City Schools' Board of Education approved $11.6 million in cuts last month, including eliminating junior high librarians, reducing nurse positions, and eliminating the college-preparatory AVID program for low-income and minority students at one junior high and four high schools.

“The board endured a nearly three-hour tongue-lashing from about 700 people before voting on the cuts. They ultimately voted against cutting elementary and junior high music teachers and increasing kindergarten class sizes.

"We took a lot of heat," said Chris Flesuras, associate superintendent of human resources. "We just happened to (make our cuts) a week before everybody else. It's scary, really, because I think most districts aren't going to be able to make those kinds of cuts."

“Local administrators say the governor's proposed cuts harken back to the era of Proposition 13, a controversial ballot initiative passed in 1978 that capped property tax increases statewide and resulted in a dramatic reduction in the amount of local property tax revenue available for schools. California's national ranking in per-pupil spending has declined ever since.

"Here we are, with California the seventh-largest economy in the world, and we're 46th in the nation in what we spend per student," said Steve Menge, assistant superintendent of administrative services for Patterson schools.”

Tomorrow, they’ll also be in Sacramento.

From Napa County, “An unhappy math exercise: Local schools look at layoffs, cuts to meet reduced budget”:

“Fourth-grade science teacher Terry Asano pleaded for her job at the podium Thursday night, bursting into tears during her address to the Napa Valley Unified School District board.

“I’m a role model,” she said, wiping back tears, “and I’d like to continue to be that.” ,,,

“At the high school level, ninth-grade math and English classes would increase from 20 students to up to 36

“Elementary schools would no longer offer summer school

“The district would eliminate its share of funding for athletics, changing the system to a “pay-to-play” method.

From Gilroy, an agricultural community: “What can you do about state budget cuts to education?”

“If Californians truly believe that the state's current and future economic vitality depends on a well-educated workforce, then today is the day to let Gov. Schwarzenegger and our elected state representatives know that the draconian cuts to school districts in the proposed state budget are unacceptable. …

“So now valuable staff time, time that should be used to improve student achievement in our classrooms, is being used instead to come up with a plan for budget cuts and revenue enhancements.

“…there is already a shortage of qualified teachers especially in the areas of math, science, and Many motivated and special education, and the problem is expected to increase.”

From Stockton:

“In the end, PTA leader and mother of four kids in Lincoln Unified schools Heidi Orihuela said, it's important that lawmakers stand up for education. "Let's not be chicken," she said, holding a rubber chicken for effect.”

From the Coachella Valley, as reported in the Desert Sun, “ Coachella Valley group protests cuts to education budgets at local districts”:

The budget cut "is not in keeping with the will of the people of California," said Neil Lingle, a Desert Sands board member, in a speech to members of the media. "We cannot sit passively while Sacramento makes adverse decisions for our children.

"The answer is not on the back of students."

Finally, from the Simi Valley: “Ventura Co. School Leaders Bemoan Budget Cuts--Worst in 15 years, says superintendent”:

The Ventura County Superintendent of Schools is quoted as saying:"I've never seen cuts of this size in 15 years," Weis said, adding that more money is spent on prisons in California than on state universities. "Investing in prisons does not grow a state economy."

The comments of Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Trudy Arriaga are reported in this manner:

“Within three years, California dropped from No. 44 in the nation for per pupil spending to No. 46, Arriaga said.

"Are we waiting for the big 50?" she asked.

"I propose this budget leaves all children behind," Arriaga said in reference to the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. "It's not about failing schools but how we as adults are failing children."

“Paul Chatman, president of the California School Boards Association, said that while classroom size will increase, electives in middle school and high school will be cut.

"Every child in this state has been devalued by $800," Chatman said. "We have a Legislature that has their foot stuck in the mud.”…

“Chatman suggested raising taxes, a move Republicans in the state Legislature have long opposed.

"We need to run this state as a business," Chatman said. "(No one) opens a business and says, 'I will never raise prices.'"

“Even longtime anti-tax guru Jere Robbins of Thousand Oaks believes a tax hike may be in store for Californians.”

Remember that last quote.