The California Education Code mandates that by March 15th, all teachers must receive pink slips notification if they are no longer guaranteed a job. Because March 15th fell on a Sunday this year, teachers, parents, and students wore pink on Friday in protest of the education budget cuts, calling this statewide protest Pink Friday. California's public schools, colleges, and universities are facing more than $11 billion in state budget cuts. As of March 13th, 26,590 teachers received pink slips, as well as many aides, school-support members such as secretaries and janitors, and school district office employees.
Orange County's 28 public schools districts alone announced this week budget cuts of more than $290.4 million and layoffs for as many as 3,063 employees. Class-size reductions, Music, art, drama, athletic, second language, and International Baccalaureate programs are being taken out of schools. Orange Unified School District has decided to close Silverado Elementary , with proposed closure for also Panorama Elementary, Riverdale Elementary, and Imperial Elementary.
California is 47th in the country for the amount of money per student which is extremely low especially for such a prosperous state. President Obama's federal stimulus package provides $7.9 billion for California schools, but because the California government does not have to release money for 2 years, we do not know how much they actually will receive, when they will receive it, and what strings will be attached.
Here is a news video on Fullerton's Pink Friday Protest.
As future teachers, it is extremely important for us to be aware of what is taking place in our current school systems. How do you feel about the budget cuts on our schools, and what will the impacts be of the budget cuts on our schools, our children's education, and us as future teachers? Who do you think is to blame for all the problems our schools are facing in California? What can be done to help solve the problem for the future?
Pink friday was a very emotional day for us all because it rings on our future and what possiblities for a future job have become. I actually work for the fullerton district (the one in the film) and I have seen first-hand what it does not only to the teacher and staff but for the students. During these past two weeks it has been very gloomy because we were all unsure who was going to be cut and who was going to stay. Even before the cut we could see the reprecussions of the situation, we have become shortstaffed and sometimes are split into three classrooms a day. It also is hard because teachers are not allowed to ask for support from the parents, not even for a box of tissues. This adds even more tension because those who are losing their jobs are suppose to be saving, however, they can't let their students uffer, so they continue to buy supplies for their classrooms. I feel that it is unneccesary for this much devestation to occur in education. The budget has many components and it should be reevaluated on what is more important. Children are our future, so why do we hinder their growth so often? We spoke of this subject on thursday in my credential course, we discussed who we are supposed to be pointing fingers at. Although we are full of fustration, its time for the schools to come together and ask who is to blame, what can we do and how do we take action. We have to challege our congressmen, governmor and businessmen to actually step into a classroom, see what goes on and tell us honestly that budget cuts in education is the right call.
ReplyDeleteI saw a demonstration of hundreds of people last friday and I will admit, it brought a tear to my eye. It makes me angry that California is putting us teachers through more rigorous work, yet they cut thousands of jobs. It not only impacts teachers jobs, but the children's education as well. California, before the recent cuts, were 47th in spending per pupil. How are we going to solve the problem of testing, overcrowded classrooms,special needs, lack of physical education and arts, etc when the funding is being cut even more? I don't know who or what is to blame, but whatever it is, it's not working and change must be had. In the future, we need responsible budgeting, and the realization that schools are worth the funding. Children are our future, and California is not painting a bright one for us...
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how California, a state that in the 1960s provided one of the best educations to its students, has worsened throughout the years. For the last couple of years we have been facing the "budget cut crisis" and instead of improving, the situation has only worsened as more and more teacher are being laid off each year. I can only imagine how much stress this puts on educators who are expected to teach everything in the curriculum with larger classroom sizes. This situation also brings frustration to students as they also have to suffer from smaller classroom size. What angers me most out of everything is seeing that the ones suffering the most are the students! I just hope that with our new president things change and that politicans are able to see the effect that budget cuts have in the education of students!
ReplyDeleteBudget cuts mean less teachers, less teachers means more children in a single classroom with a single teacher, which means less attention on the individual student, which to me, obviously shows how much effort we put into the future of our nation. To me, this is a really scary thought. Do we really put so little effort into the people who will be caring for us when we are older? It's also really sad that they are taking out subject matter for the students as well. I wouldn't even know who to blame for something like this happening. The government? The teachers? Ourselves? Maybe it's a mixture of everyone. I feel like our country has become too high and mighty, and it is so materialistic and there is no going back. We can try to change it, but there will always be that majority who just won't change. I'm really worried about future teachers. Who knows how many lives they could possibly change, as long as they are given the chance to try.
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