OPPOSITION TO 2008-09 EDUCATION FUNDING CUTS, Addressed to the California State Legislature, April 2008

To:  California State Legislature

PETITION TO OPPOSE 2008-09 EDUCATION FUNDING CUTS
Addressed to the California State Legislature
April 2008

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING:

WHEREAS, California’s more than 6 million students deserve high quality schools with well-trained educators, small class sizes, quality instructional materials, up-to-date textbooks and dynamic parental support; and

WHEREAS, Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2008-09 budget proposal calls for massive and devastating cuts to K-12 students and schools by reducing Proposition 98 funding by $400 million in the current year and $4.4 billion for 2008-09; and

WHEREAS, under the governor’s proposed budget, South Pasadena Unified School District would lose $122,000 in the current fiscal year due to mid-year cuts and $2,000,000 in 2008-09 due to the suspension of Proposition 98; and

WHEREAS, according to recently released reports and studies, California spends $1,900 less per student than the national average – seriously underfunding its public schools; and

WHEREAS, the governor’s proposed budget reductions are fundamentally inconsistent with the state’s goal of improving student achievement, at a time when our students are making progress toward meeting rigorous state and federal education standards; and

WHEREAS, the budget problem was not created by our students and fixing the problem should not come at the expense of their educational progress and success; and

WHEREAS, California voters approved – and continue to strongly support – Proposition 98 to protect schools and students from harmful budget cuts and to establish a minimum level of education funding; and

WHEREAS, the governor’s budget proposal goes against the will of California voters;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Pasadena Unified Board of Education strongly opposes the Governor’s 2008-09 budget proposal, and urges the governor and legislature to discuss all possibilities to solve the budget crisis, including new revenue sources, and will communicate to the community the impact of these reductions.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The OPPOSITION TO 2008-09 EDUCATION FUNDING CUTS, Addressed to the California State Legislature, April 2008 Petition to California State Legislature was created by South Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education and written by Dr. Brian Bristol (bbristol@fc.spusd.net).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.