If educators weren’t already aware of the seriousness of California’s budget crisis, CTA President Wayne Johnson brought home the message loud and clear at CTA’s February Council meeting.

Noting that Gov. Davis has proposed a $2.7 billion cut in this year’s education budget, Johnson said, "When Davis said his first, second and third priorities were education, we didn’t know he meant education cuts. Davis has proposed the worst education cuts in the state’s history. And now the legislature and the administrators are busy shooting the wounded by proposing class size increases."

CTA has strongly advocated that there be no cuts in: base revenue limits; Schools of Greatest Need funding; special education programs; and class size reduction. While some legislators have been pushing bills to increase class sizes, Johnson emphasized that the program is vital to school improvement efforts.

Johnson predicted that administrators will also attempt to weaken  teacher collective bargaining.

Johnson said, "I can guarantee you that next year, districts are going to come to the bargaining table with a vengeance. Every district will try to increase class size, freeze and/or cut teacher salaries and cut medical benefits."

Johnson offered his own budget proposals that included cutting the high school exit exam to save $21 million; cutting the governor’s Secretary of Education to eliminate $6 million; and cutting bloated administrative bureaucracy to save even more.

"Districts should spend down their reserves. Reserves are for economic uncertainties - well, these are economic uncertain  times, spend the reserves."

Johnson urged educators to get involved.

"CTA members must organize in your locals and immediately put pressure on your local Assembly person and Senator. Let them know that you and the public are opposed to cuts in the education program."

 

Barbara E. Kerr has won the position of CTA president on a unanimous vote by CTA's 788-member State Council of Education. The body also elected David A. Sanchez  to serve as CTA's next vice president.

Vice President-elect David A. Sanchez and President-elect Barbara E. Kerr

Kerr, a Riverside elementary school teacher, is currently serving her second term as vice president.

Sanchez, who teaches kindergarten in Santa Maria, is serving his second term as secretary-treasurer. Both were running unopposed.

Their terms will begin June 26.

"Barbara, David and I have worked together as a team for the last four years," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "They are passionate teachers who care deeply for kids and public education. I know they will continue CTA’s fight to keep our schools improving and to provide all students with the education they deserve."

"The most important issue facing our students, teachers and public schools right now is the proposed cuts to education funding that would directly impact every child in this state," says Kerr. "Lawmakers must target state budget cuts away from our classrooms and the education professionals who work directly with students."

The election for CTA secretary-treasurer will take place in March. Three members of CTA's Board of Directors - Dean Vogel, Donnell Jordan and Tom Conry have announced their candidacy.

 

School funding was very much on the minds of delegates to CTA's State Council of Education Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.

Saying CTA has to find ways to make the pot of money available for school funding bigger or forever face divide-and-conquer tactics at the state and local level, delegates to CTA's governing body decided to look into taking an offensive rather than a defensive approach.

Council called on the governor and the Legislature "to find a comprehensive, multi-year solution [to the budget crisis] that addresses revenues and expenditures. This solution must protect classroom funding and keep our schools improving."

Delegates voted to approve an expenditure from the organization's initiative fund to work for passage of another statewide school facilities bond, set to go to ballot in the spring of 2004, and to fight an initiative that would ban race-based decisions on employment, classification of students or admissions to college. Capped at $2 million, the initiative fund expenditure will also be used to conduct research into the idea of finding new revenue sources for education.

Council also approved an organizing plan that calls for heightening public awareness of the devastating effect the proposed budget cuts will have on local schools. It urges teachers to activate local coalitions to help oppose cuts that will hurt schools.

The plan focuses on legislators as the power brokers in the crisis and urges CTA members to meet with their legislators in their home districts, rather than at the Capitol where they're insulated from the concerns of constituents.

Delegates intend for local associations and regions to flesh out the plan.

Council approved a list of budget principles for the 2003-04 budget debate, already underway at the state Legislature. The list includes the same four priorities as the battle against this year's midyear cuts has set:

The list of priorities for the budget debate also includes fully funding the revenue limit cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), as well as COLA and growth for all programs, including categorical programs that provide direct instruction to students. Council is recommending consolidation of certain categorical programs to maximize flexibility and provide more direct services to students.

 

In other business the State Council of Education :