Calif. Educators Warn Of Dire Budget Consequences

April 14, 2011 3:52 PM

The California Capitol in Sacramento (File Photo)

Filed under

Related tags

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Education officials are warning lawmakers that a shorter school year, larger class sizes and teacher layoffs are ahead if the Legislature resorts to an all-cuts budget to close a deficit that once stood at nearly $27 billion.

The comments came during a legislative hearing Thursday about the effects of spending cuts on K-12 education.

Gov. Jerry Brown is trying to close the remaining $15.4 billion deficit by extending temporary tax increases that are about to expire.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson told lawmakers that 10 percent of the state’s roughly 1,000 school districts already are in financial trouble. He said cutting 10 percent to 15 percent more is “unthinkable.”

Brown wants at least four Republican votes in the Legislature to authorize a statewide vote to extend the tax hikes.

Calif. Educators Warn Of Dire Budget Consequences

jim

and the clowns in the capital still have their car allowance and obscene pay and bennies. why do the admin side of education get 6 figure pay while the children get the cuts …. this should take Calif from almost lowest rated schools in the country to firmly in the #1 (50th) slot. good job politicians be oh so proud of yourselves as you drive your kids to private schools in state paid cars.
useitorloseit

Good Idea, lets destroy the education system so that the state goes further down a rate hole. Cut Government, they only spend money, I do not need cops everywhere, second amendment allows us to protect ourselves, and those firemen and women that think they should make more than a teacher clearly shows us their level of education. Privatize Cal Fire, please help me understand how a part time, seasonal work became one of the largest fire departments in the USA. These are not hero’s they are uneducated opportunist only looking out for their self’s. Wake up people this is nothing but scare tactics to get you to pay more taxes. Tell them to cut or there will not be a California.

derF

What is a “rate hole”? Is that the result of paying excessive rates for all public services?

kristine

This is what I find very funny. Our family has been paying at least 1400.00 more in taxes over the last couple of years. It has gotten us larger class sizes, 5 less days of school time, loss of teachers aides, no PE teachers in elementary schools. It seems to me even with the tax extensions, we will be seeing those scenarios play out..
The_Truth

Well lets see the State is giving millions in grants to people to give Cellphones to illegal aliens crossing the border to find water and such, and I’m wondering why ? lets cut all programs that help people here illegally and i’m sure that will make up a large amount of the deficit.

lets hear it for Govornor moonbeam, and for those of you who voted for him, he got right on Camera and told everyone he never lied while in office and such, and yet right after his last stint as governor he told CNN that he did lie in office.

another way to save money totally revamp Calworks, they are paying thousands a month to babysitters so the kids moms can go to a part time minimum wage job and make less then the baby sitter, furthermore some of them get kickbacks from the baby sitters.

Matt Brewer

You know as well as I,if it wasn’t for illegal aliens,massive welfare population,state and city employee unions,Moonbeam and Harry Reid would have lost their elections by a HUGE landslide!!!

Mike

You Nailed it !!

Kay

The California public school system is a black hole that sucks in money and provides little results. All the bonds, taxes, and lottery money in the state has not and will not cure this very broken, tenured protected, administrative heavy system. Dismantle it and start over.

david

What’s your suggestion for a replacement ? Charter schools are doing no better….. Comparing private school and public schools is apples and oranges. Private school don’t take low achieving , behavior problems, and poor students. They have parents that are very involved and a budget that let’s them do PE, music and science. Public schools have become the identified problem for all the states ills….. Stop watching FOX news and go help in a public school class room for a month. I guarantee you’ll change your attitude about public schools.

TJ

I sent my children to private a private school. She is in Kindergarten. She get’s 6.5 hours of academics, compared to 3 to 3.5. She is doing first grade work. With my tuition she get’s child care. For 12 months of school, child care and a summer program – I pay approximately 1,000 less for the entire year, than what the current public schools pay for 8 or months with no child care. They have kids with behavior problems. They are not all great and wonderful children. they have pe, music and science. But, we are paying less for more!! The school does not nickel and dime for things. They have their budget and have to stick to that, including lowering the registration fees. So your theory is wrong!! We hold our teachers accountable and we as parents who are working parents take our jobs as parents seriously, just as we demand our teachers who we pay to teach our children. More money is not the answer! It is quality. Teacher’s need to teach and parent’s need to parent. But more money is not the answer! As I have just proven. And, my tax dollars go to a school I don’t use. Your guarantee is garbage. As a social worker I have spent time in the schools, and I have seen schools use tv to teach and go along in the books rather than the teacher teaching!!

Cobra289

After having just finished our taxes (Federal & State), finding that we essentially work for free for about 3.5 months per year (meaning that all of this income goes to pay our taxes). While I believe that we all have a responsibility as keepers of the greater good, left wondering how much is enough for these clowns.

I have no desire to negatively impact all of the various groups who are telling us about the dire consequences of cutting spending, but again how much do you want all of us to pay? Is 6-months working for free adequate? 5-months? 4-months? Just do not see any accountability in this for other than continually asking for more money.

dunphy

you don’t work for free. toy work to support your police department, fire department and other social services. saying you work for free is an oversimplification.
still, i agree with the lack of accountability regarding how our taxes are being used.
but to say you see no benefits from paying taxes… a bit much.

The_Truth

your state Taxs do not not pay for the city Fire Departments, nor do they pay for the City Police Departments, that is just over exageration by Govornor Moonbeam, State taxs pay for state prison guards, state police, CHP and State Firefighters, which fight forest fires only.

Zet

Tax freedom day in Canada is not until June.

dunphy

and the cities get their funding from…?
raymon

These taxes that moonbean wants to extend bring in about 9 billion dollars a year what happened to the cuts in 5 years these taxes would be 45 billion dollars that is why the Democrats and the unions want us to vote to extend them there are no real cuts only smoke and mirrors this is just a scam by our state tell them no more taxes.
http://wedoitweb.com sheryl

California spends $12,000 annually per inmate in healthcare. Healthcare. Just think about it. More than the per pupil spending. California has the lowest ratio of staff per inmate in the country, which means that California has more staff per inmate than any state. Why is the Department of Corrections off limits in budget cuts? There are more highly paid dentists in the Suisan prison than in some communities and remember the state pays all of their overhead unlike dentists in the private sector. Ask Jerry and Arnold why this department is off limits to cuts.