Do it for the Children!

I don't have much to say tonight, I am still slowly recovering and hope to be at about 80% by tomorrow. Dude, it sucks.

But, if you live in the state of California, my sister the teacher sent me this email, of which I will copy the pertinent parts for you. This is about our children's education, so I urge you to take part if you can! I actually always make fun of people who say, "But think of the children!" But in this case, I'm thinking differently. Sorry it came out all wonky in the cut and paste!


Dear Friends,

The PTAs are trying to FLOOD the Capitol with phone calls to put pressure on
the Governor to present a May Revise budget that does not suspend
Proposition 98. If this effort is successful & Prop 98 is NOT SUSPENDED then
California's Unified school districts will not have to make many of the
proposed million cuts that will be so devastating to our children.

What You Can Do

ANYTIME BETWEEN 9AM & 5PM ALL PARENTS & CONCERNED CITIZENS PLEASE DO THE
FOLLOWING:

Call Governor Schwarzenegger & the key legislators listed below to let them
know that you want to see Proposition 98 upheld. (Prop 98 is the minimum
funding guarantee for education funding). We have selected these people
because: a) the Governor's staff members are working now on his May Revise
proposal; b) they are in leadership positions and c) the committee members
are the ones currently meeting to discuss the proposed education budget
cuts. This list is put together in priority order. If you only have time for
one phone call, please contact the Governor. Next, call Assembly member
Villines etc.

A staffer will answer the phone and it will usually be a very brief
conversation - about one minute. If the staffer asks why you are calling
this particular person when you are not a constituent, say it's because
he/she is making decisions that will affect all the children in California,
including ours in _________________ (your city).

Governor Schwarzenegger 916 - 445 - 2841

My name is_____________, and I am a (parent, student, teacher) in
_______________ (city).
I urge Governor Schwarzenegger to propose a May Revise budget that does not
suspend Proposition 98.
Assembly Republicans & Democrats, along with the Senate Democrats, have all
taken a position to protect education funding and we need the Governor to do
the same.
It's imperative that he does this in May, as waiting to negotiate later will
force __________ (your School District) to issue final layoff notices to
teachers & classified staff, most of whom will not be able to be re-hired
even if education dollars are restored later in the summer.

Assembly Members

* Assembly member Mike Villines (R) - Minority leader 916 - 319 - 2029
* Assembly member Roger Niello (R) - Vice Chair, Budget Comm 916 - 319
- 2005
* Assembly member Jean Fuller (R) - 916 - 319 - 2032
* Assembly member Mike Duvall (R) - 916 - 319 - 2072

What To Say

My name is_____________, and I am a (parent, student, teacher) in _________
(your city).
Thank you for taking a position to NOT support a suspension of Proposition
98 for the 08/09 budget year.
I urge you to make sure that Prop 98 is fully funded in the final budget.

Learn More

To view more information and the proposed cut list, please visit:
www.iusd.org/IUSDBudgetWatch.html

Comments

Ted said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
10:08 PM
Ted said…
There's a similar effort afoot among students (and parents) in our neck of the woods. I will certainly do my part, but honestly, sometimes writing the government seems like pissing in the wind. However, once you know there are a lot of people who are doing the same as you (i.e., exercising their civic duty), it decreases the amount of cynicism that can creep in.

Glad you're feeling better!

(And that was me who deleted the comment. I had a couple of typos that I saw after I posted.)
10:14 PM
Nance said…
Thank you for continuing to be a vocal advocate for educators and education, Gina. As a teacher, I appreciate your support.
12:52 PM
Laura said…
As a parent, it is worth the fight. Not only for our children but also for those who dedicate their days to teaching them. I forwarded this message in an email to my brother in Silver Lake.
4:06 PM
J said…
was this between 9 and 5 any day, or just Wednesday, when you posted?
4:39 PM
J said…
Never mind. Just called. :)
4:46 PM
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