Teacher Protest
Page 1. Teachers' day turns to protest. A teacher protest organized by PTAs, school board associations, teachers and their unions occurred yesterday up and down the peninsula. Teachers protested threats to Propostion 98, the 1988 measure designed to maintain a level of state school funding.
In consideration of the state's fiscal woes--the state remains about $9 billion in debt--an agreement was made with governor Schwarzenegger last year to take a one time $2 billion reduction in Prop 98 funds. In exchange, the state was to re-instate funding the next year with a $3 billion payment. According the the Daily News protest story, the governor intends to reneg on that promise. What they don't say is that the state budget is to be released on Friday. Expected to be included is that very same $3 billion dollars.
So that settles it then? Not by a long shot. Next, we'll be fighting over various new methods to fund schools, tenure and merit pay--the list goes on. Teachers don't like to change course, even when headed off a cliff.
In consideration of the state's fiscal woes--the state remains about $9 billion in debt--an agreement was made with governor Schwarzenegger last year to take a one time $2 billion reduction in Prop 98 funds. In exchange, the state was to re-instate funding the next year with a $3 billion payment. According the the Daily News protest story, the governor intends to reneg on that promise. What they don't say is that the state budget is to be released on Friday. Expected to be included is that very same $3 billion dollars.
So that settles it then? Not by a long shot. Next, we'll be fighting over various new methods to fund schools, tenure and merit pay--the list goes on. Teachers don't like to change course, even when headed off a cliff.
posted by Robert Holmgren at 5/12/2005
3 Comments:
bob,
no, i don't think the $3 billion covers the $2 billion take away from last year. at least, not from what i've read.
You may be correct. Finding what the real number isn't easy. It seems to vary from story to story. This story seems to indicate that $3.7 billion is what's owed.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050212/news_1n12schools.html
What some people don't recognize is that regardelss of increases in spending schools are still being shortchanged money that was promised by both the federal and state governments. Even though funding may increase, it is still not at the levels that are mandated by law.
Say I have a contract with you to work for me and I'll pay you $1 million a year for five years. At the end of the first year I can only pay you $10,000. Are you going to be happy when I tell you the next year that I can only pay you $20,000? Hey, I did give you more money than last year.
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