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California: California's schools to lay off 25,000 staff
The Independent (UK) ^ | 6 April 2003 17:16 | Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles

Posted on 04/06/2003 5:20:16 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

California may fancy itself as the fifth largest economy in the world, but when it comes to funding its school system it is a calamity.

Across the state, 25,000 primary and secondary school teachers – 20 per cent of the total – have just been notified that they will be out of work from September.

In each of the state's 1,000-odd school districts, administrators are contemplating, reluctantly, the wholesale dismemberment of programmes, from music to art to PE, as well as the dismissal of nurses, librarians and cleaners.

Class sizes, which were successfully reduced in the go-go 1990s to as low as 20 to 1 in the primary grades, look certain to expand again, with some scenarios suggesting 40 or 50 students per teacher in certain classes.

The reason for this is simple: the state is broke. Because of the depressed economy, the bursting of the dot-com bubble and a tax code that makes state revenues excessively reliant on personal incomes rather than property values or corporate profits, California is facing a $35bn (£22bn) budget shortfall this year. Education accounts for roughly half of state spending, so schools are where the pain is being felt first.

It would not be so calamitous if Californian schools were not woefully underfunded already, ranking 41st in spending per pupil out of the 50 states. New York state, for example, spends $4,000 more per child per year. There is simply no fat to cut, largely because of a statewide tax revolt in the 1970s that capped spending for social services, sabotaging America's former leading school system.

"Let's cut the rhetoric of 'Leave No Child Behind' [President Bush's campaign slogan on education] and 'fess up to the reality that all children will be left behind," said John Deasy, superintendent of the relatively successful Santa Monica-Malibu school district in southern California, which now faces the loss of more than 200 teachers.

States across the country are suffering their worst budget crisis for half a century, and few are receiving help from the federal government, which is pouring funds instead into counter-terrorism, the military and tax cuts for the wealthy. Anti-war activists like to call the education crisis in California an instance of "domestic collateral damage", holding the White House at least indirectly responsible.

But California's own political leadership is also to blame. Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, is infuriating even his own party by refusing to contemplate substantial tax increases and handing out favours to campaign contributors, notably the prison guards' union. While the schools sink into oblivion, Governor Davis is insisting on building a new death row unit at San Quentin prison. The price tag: $220m.

 

6 April 2003 17:16

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TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: calgov2002; california
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And the news comes from out of State!
1 posted on 04/06/2003 5:20:16 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: *calgov2002; Dog Gone; Grampa Dave; blam; Sabertooth; NormsRevenge; Gritty; SierraWasp; ...
calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

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2 posted on 04/06/2003 5:21:33 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Where is Saddam?)
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To: All
Should have said I saw this on the Drudge page!
3 posted on 04/06/2003 5:22:25 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Recall Gray Davis and then start on the other Democrats)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Out of state? Try out of nation, out of continent.
4 posted on 04/06/2003 5:22:32 PM PDT by DoughtyOne
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
How big would the class sizes be if all of the illegal aliens were excluded?
5 posted on 04/06/2003 5:24:00 PM PDT by Truth29
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Maybe they'll fire my communist brother who has been polluting the minds of California students for years.

But they'll probably single out the non-commies for firing.

6 posted on 04/06/2003 5:26:13 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Vouchers would solve the state's problems.
7 posted on 04/06/2003 5:26:53 PM PDT by Mark (Treason doeth never prosper, for if it prosper, NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON.)
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To: Dog Gone
You haven't been able to convert him?

I know the feeling, I have relatives I have given up on!
8 posted on 04/06/2003 5:27:53 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Recall Gray Davis and then start on the other Democrats)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Yeah, I already know about it. Looks like I'll be stuck teaching in San Bernardino yet another year.
All of this while individual schools buy EACH teacher new laptops or copy machines for every classroom.
Local control of school funding isn't always the best idea.
9 posted on 04/06/2003 5:27:58 PM PDT by LibertyThug
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To: Dog Gone
There is simply no fat to cut, largely because of a statewide tax revolt in the 1970s that capped spending for social services, sabotaging America's former leading school system.

Revolt? Sabotaging? Hey, UK...it is called WE THE PEOPLE. Finally they realized in CA how they were getting ripped off in taxes!!

10 posted on 04/06/2003 5:28:36 PM PDT by Gopher Broke (Peace through superior firepower)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
My daughter is a first year High School teacher. She loves to teach and has been given the highest ratings possible by her Principal, peers and students. They all came to support her when the school board looked at cuts. Although she got her slip, she is now on first on the rehire list if the school can find the money.

Such a waste of a fine teacher. If these young dedicated teachers can't find jobs in their field, California will lose a great resource.

I have also heard a rumor that all schools under 600 in enrollment could be closed. That would take out most of our county's schools. Kids would have to be bused for hours if that is the case.
11 posted on 04/06/2003 5:34:22 PM PDT by marsh2
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Hats off to our "education" governor. You know those Dems, they are the only ones who care about our schools, infrastructure, environment, etc.

I can't wait to see the college recruiting campaigns for teachers because we "need" them. What a joke.
12 posted on 04/06/2003 5:35:04 PM PDT by Canticle_of_Deborah
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teachers love to complain about the class size thing. yet they can't explain how asian kids come over from classes of 60 kids, can't speak english, and yet graduate at the top of their high school class, and go to Berkeley, stanfUrd, MIT, etc.

The Marine Corps and probably the rest of the military doesn't even consider Asians as minorities anymore, because its screws up all their tests to have a minority get the best scores.

however, SE asia doesn't seem to follow this...lots of them seem more interested in emulating inner city thugs.
13 posted on 04/06/2003 5:35:47 PM PDT by KneelBeforeZod (Deus Lo Volt!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"Education accounts for roughly half of state spending, so schools are where the pain is being felt first.


Half the state budget goes to education, and they say there is no fat to cut...

14 posted on 04/06/2003 5:36:16 PM PDT by CIB-173RDABN
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To: Canticle_of_Deborah
http://www.recallgraydavis.com

GET BUSY AND GET THOSE TEACHERS THE RECALL PETITIONS>>> MAYBE WE CAN SAVE THEIR JOBS and Save our Educational System!

http://www.recallgraydavis.com/Petition.asp

Click here for a petition: http://www.recallgraydavis.com/Petition.pdf

15 posted on 04/06/2003 5:37:58 PM PDT by bonesmccoy (Defeat the terrorists... Vaccinate!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It would not be so calamitous if Californian schools were not woefully underfunded already, ranking 41st in spending per pupil out of the 50 states.

MONEY is not the answer. Open borders and labor unions, along with incessant unwillingness to REALLY improve education(even a proven plus like English emersion was a huge fight), all of these things have brought it to this. We are screwed in so many ways now, this is just one of them. IMO one party rule is a BIG part of the problem.

16 posted on 04/06/2003 5:38:00 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((They wanted to kill 50,000 of us on 9/11, we will never forget!))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
For California Freepers, one thing we can do is dump the governor. For recall petitions, click on ... http://www.recallgraydavis.com
17 posted on 04/06/2003 5:38:27 PM PDT by thinktwice
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
What is that saying, "All roads lead to Baghdad"?

And now -- in this thread -- it's all roads lead to http://www.recallgraydavis.com

18 posted on 04/06/2003 5:40:51 PM PDT by thinktwice
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To: KneelBeforeZod
Exactly right. There are tons of kids who come from crowded classes with no technology who seem to do pretty well.
19 posted on 04/06/2003 5:40:52 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace ((the original))
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I love how everyone is so quick to blame Bush for problems within the school system. Our current president did not cause these initial problems. And he simply cannot just take a chunk of the budget that is needed elsewhere and hand it over to the public education system. Personally, I like the fact that Bush isn't pushing a huge budget for the public education system. It is lacking in a lot of things, and I think it needs an overhaul--much of in that we need to start rethinking our plan to rely upon the government to educate our children instead of us doing it ourselves.

Yes, my fiance and I plan on homeschooling our children. I know you guys have probably heard this argument, and many of you feel the same way, but I just get so upset at people...and sometimes I just need to get my thoughts out...

I don't even understand how people can believe that they can rely on the gov. to educate their children, while they are asking for tax cuts and the such from that same gov. There is simply not enough money to go around...and I feel like Bush is placing much of it in the correct places for our current world situation....it's just time for people to get off their *ss's and quit whining and start to help in the education of their own children...

Sorry guys, guess it's time for me to step down off my soap-box now...
20 posted on 04/06/2003 5:41:24 PM PDT by thunders (proud fiance of a USMC Reservist, who, thankfully, is at home with me...for now....)
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