Superintendents, parents, teachers, school board members and other education leaders detail devastating impact of budget cuts to schools in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo Speaker Urges Legislature to Reject Education Funding Cuts, Uphold Voter-Approved Minimum School Funding
Posted on 19 March 2008 by Mark
From: Posting on 22 February 2008 by Roger

GOLETA – Today a coalition of parents and education leaders held a press conference to discuss the real impact on local public schools of the Governor’s proposed $4.8 billion cut to education funding, including nearly $170 million in cuts expected in the coming year for the tri-county area of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

They called upon members of the Legislature to uphold Prop. 98, the minimum school funding guarantee, and reject the draconian proposed cuts to public schools and students. The statewide cuts would slash funding in Ventura County by more than $104 million, Santa Barbara County by more than $46 million and San Luis Obispo by approximately $20 million.

This could result in increased class sizes, reduced per-pupil spending, vital program cuts, and layoffs of teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers and other education professionals, according to Chris Ungar, Region 9 Director of the California School Boards Association. Ungar sits on the San Luis Coastal School Board.

“This budget is a giant step backward for our students,” said David A. Sanchez, President of the California Teachers Association and a former Santa Maria teacher. “How can we expect to continue to improve student learning if leaders undermine Prop. 98 and turn back the clock on school funding? It’s time to stop ransoming our children’s future and to reject this short-sighted proposal.”

According to Education Week, in the last two years, California has dropped from 43rd to 46th in per-pupil spending, which is nearly $1,900 below the national average. “Education is an investment we cannot afford to cut,” said Chris Ungar, President of the Tri-Counties Education Coalition and CSBA Region 9 Director. “Cutting education is fundamentally inconsistent with the state’s goal of improving student achievement.”

The proposed cuts are the equivalent of cutting more than $24,000 per classroom.

“The Governor’s proposal passes the state’s budget problems onto local students and schools and holds them accountable for a problem they didn’t create,” said Peggy Buckles, 15th District of the California State PTA. “We believe our students deserve better, and that the future of our state depends on the investments we make now in education.”

“Our teachers, like all of California teachers, struggle to do more for our students with fewer resources each year,” said Sue Westbrook, President of the California Federation of Teachers’ Early Childhood through K12 Council. “We’ve worked hard to develop sound educational programs that will be hit hard by the governor’s proposal. We need to strengthen and increase support to our schools. The current proposal will only serve to weaken schools and hurt our students.”

“Massive cuts to students and schools now have real and irreparable long-term damage,” said Eric D. Smith, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business, Santa Barbara School Districts and President-elect of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO). “We need to protect Proposition 98 and ensure stable funding at least at the minimum level that the voters of this state demanded and continue to support. We have to do better than this for our kids.”

“It is clear that our students pay the price when schools are short-changed in the state budget,” said David Gomez, Board Member of the Association of California School Administrators and Superintendent at Santa Paula Union High School District. “At the local level, these cuts are devastating, and our legislators need to reject all budget proposals that decimate the minimum school funding guarantee.”