Del Cerro Elementary School and PTA

Principal's Message

Principal's Message for March

Dear Del Cerro Parents,

As a school principal, I follow the state’s budget situation each year, often with great interest and sometimes with great dread.

We all knew that this year California would be facing a huge budget deficit. But nothing prepared me for Governor Schwarzenegger’s initial solution: solving the fiscal emergency strictly through budget cuts, including cutting education by $4.8 billion.

While I appreciate the Governor’s tough challenge in balancing the budget, I am oppose to and saddened by his 2008-09 budget proposal and plans to eviscerate Proposition 98. Our students and schools did not create this budget problem, and their education and future progress shouldn’t be undermined because of it.

As you form you thoughts and opinions regarding this budget crisis, I want to take this opportunity to make you aware of some of the important points to consider:

Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed $4.8 billion budget cut to California’s schools will severely damage the quality of education in our state, forcing school districts to lay off teachers and other educators in already overcrowded classrooms.

A $4.8 billion budget cut is equivalent to:

laying off more than 107,000 teachers

cutting more than $24,000 per classroom

reducing per-student spending by more than $800

laying off over 137,000 bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, maintenance workers and other education support professionals

cutting $7.76 million, on average, to every school district

increasing class sizes statewide by as much as 35%

In the midst of progress in student achievement throughout California, this budget represents a giant step backward.

· According to Education Week, California has dropped from 43rd to 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending – that’s $1,900 less per student than the national average. The same report gave California an abysmal D+ in education funding. States like New York spend 75 percent more on education than California.

· California already has some of the most overcrowded classrooms and the greatest shortages of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff in the nation.

· Despite the lack of funds, California students and schools have made significant progress. Reading scores are up 25 percent and math scores have increased 17 percent in the last four years. We cannot expect this progress to continue while cutting billions from our schools. We need to protect smaller class sizes and encourage student achievement through investing in our schools.

· This budget threatens class sizes as well as music, art and career technical education programs.

It is important for all of us to contact our legislative leaders to REJECT the Governor’s proposed education budget cuts and uphold Proposition 98, the voter-approved minimum school funding guarantee.

· Voters passed Proposition 98 almost 20 years ago to ensure our students and schools have a minimum funding guarantee, and reaffirmed their support during the 2005 special election. Any proposal to suspend Proposition 98 undermines the will of the voters to fund our schools.

· A state budget proposal that cuts funding to schools is not a real solution because it doesn’t address California’s underlying problem of inadequate and unstable revenue sources. Proposition 98 was designed to protect our students from instability so that they would always have the reliable resources they need to learn and succeed.

If you would like more information regarding this very important issue, please visit Saddleback Valley Unified School District’s website, http://www.svusd.k12.ca.us/, to read our Superintendent’s message. I hope that you will be inspired to let your voice to be heard. To get started, you can visit the legislative section of the website in order to find the names of your representatives. Below is a sample letter to a legislator or governor asking them to reject a budget that does not maintain Proposition 98’s minimum funding for education.

Dear XXX:

I’m a (PARENT) of a student at (SCHOOL NAME) here in (CITY NAME), and I’m very concerned about how the Governor’s proposed $4.8 billion education funding cuts will impact our local schools.

These cuts are equivalent to $24,000 less for every classroom, or increasing class sizes by more than a third. I know first-hand how important smaller class sizes are to improving student learning, and I don’t want to see us turn back the clock on our kids’ education. Smaller classes have helped my child excel in math and reading, and to deny that opportunity to other students would be a terrible mistake.

Or: (give a personal example – i.e. my son/daughter excelled in school when he/she was able to take a music class that sparked his/her interest in instrumental music)

I’d hate to see programs like this slashed – because when we cut these important learning opportunities, we’re short-changing our kids.

Voters passed Proposition 98 twenty years ago to ensure a minimum funding guarantee for our schools. Over the years, we’ve reaffirmed our support for this law. It’s time for the politicians to listen to the voters and stop trying to siphon money away from our students.

I want to urge the Legislature to reject the Governor’s short-sighted budget and invest in California’s future. My child deserves nothing less!

Sincerely,

(NAME)

(CITY)

(CONTACT INFORMATION)

Your opinion does, quite literally, count and a mailed letter makes a visual impact for those people that represent our interests and the interests of our children. Whatever your thoughts are about this issue, I do hope that you will put pen to paper and make a difference.

As both an educator and a parent I believe that our legislators should pass a balanced budget that makes education funding, and investing in California’s future, a priority. For me, anything less is unacceptable.

Sincerely,

Lisa Graham,
Principal

Dear Parents:

If you are late picking up your child (15 minutes after 2:45 pm dismissal), please note: Students who are waiting outside or at the top of the stairs will be taken to the office to wait for their parents. We are having the students wait in the office for their safety because there is no supervision after 3:00 pm. So if you are running late, please park your car and come to the office. That is where you will be able to find your child.

Thank you, Mrs. Graham