Mid
Year Budget Cut Letter Writing Points
Writing
to local egislators lets them know how important sufficient
school funding is to their voting constituents. Here are key
points to emphasize:
- In
response to public outcry, California has significantly
increased its investment in public education. This investment
is paying off. Student achievement has increased and test
scores continue to rise. Cutting education funding now will
destroy our momentum and roll back efforts to improve student
performance - particularly for disadvantaged students. We
cannot afford to force our public schools into an education
recession
- Public
education remains the top priority for California voters.
In the November 2002 elections, voters overwhelmingly agreed
that they want to invest more in our public schools –
not less.
- There
is no “over-appropriation” of public education
funding. In fact, more than $3.1 billion was recently cut
from our public schools to help the state balance the budget
between last year and this year. Any additional education
cuts will directly impact students, classrooms and schools.
- Any
cuts to public education - particularly immediate, mid-year
reductions - will directly impact students, classrooms and
schools. In order to save the amount of money being discussed
for the current budget year, the state would have to shorten
the school year by two full weeks, layoff more than 35,000
teachers or cut spending by more than $300 per student.
- Any
efforts to deal with this year’s budget shortfall
must not be taken in isolation. California needs a comprehensive
plan to resolve the state’s fiscal crisis and to address
the immediate and future needs of our students and schools.
We should not look at this crisis in piecemeal, but rather
as a structural, multi-year problem.
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