Are these the headlines we expect to see in the tenth year of an economic expansion?
Budget constraints force tough choices for Redwood City Elementary School District
Ravenswood school district faces looming budget crisis
‘Tidal wave of expenses’ in looming California school budget crisis
Increasing San Mateo County school districts’ LCFF target funding (less any excess local property tax revenue, typically so-called ‘basic-aids’) suggests that specific districts are experiencing approximately the levels of financial pain shown below (above and beyond the general pain described in West-Ed’s “Silent Recession”).
Across the high-cost counties we’ve reviewed, this pain is generally reflected in multiple measures including less-experienced staff, higher staff turnover, less support staff, fewer enrichment programs (unless supported by external funding sources), perennial budget shortfalls, lower reserves, larger schools, larger class sizes, lower salary structures, antagonistic relationships between trustees, parents, unions, and staff. It is often worse, however, in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, since the fixed Federal free-or-reduced-price-lunch cut-off excludes many high-needs students from LCFF student-need supplementation who are experiencing housing-cost related poverty.
Wonder how districts are educating their communities and taking action? See Redwood City's flyer here.
Time to make an imPACT!
Please contact your state legislators. Here is the state search tool to find them. Their details are below. Rally friends to make a bigger imPACT!
- Email is nice -- tell them how your school is hurting and how you want them to “support a regional cost supplement to the Local Control Funding Formula in the May Revise.” (They’ll be impressed.)
- A phone call is better -- ask their office if they are supporting a regional cost supplement for your school district -- share a personal story and tell them where they can find more information (here!) if they ask.
- Tweet to your representatives -- ask if they will stand up for your schools and your students and support a regional cost supplement! Tag #MakeAnImPACT and @EducateOurState
- Fax your legislators' offices -- phone calls and faxes are always heard. Get your friends to all do it together for a bigger imPACT.
Now dig deeper! Whom do you know in the Education Community? An education researcher at Cal, Stanford, UC Irvine, UCSD or USC? A school board member? Send them an email, too, and link to this site. We need to influence the influencers!
Still willing to work to help your kids, grandkids, neighborhood kids AND the kids on the other side of the tracks in your county? Please, put this on Facebook and Twitter, talk at your school PTA meeting, address your school board. We are here to help -- just reach out to us here and let us know.
WRITE, EMAIL, TWEET and CALL
State Legislators
KEVIN MULLIN: Assembly District 22 https://a22.asmdc.org Capitol Office, Room 3160P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0022; (916) 319-2022 District Office 1528 South El Camino Real, Suite 302, San Mateo, CA 94402; (650) 349-2200
Twitter: @KevinMullin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymemberKevinMullin/
MARC BERMAN Assembly District 24 https://a24.asmdc.org Capitol Office, Room 6011 Sacramento, CA 94249-0024; (916) 319-2024 District Office 5050 El Camino Real, Suite 117, Los Altos, CA 94022; (650) 691-2121
Twitter: AsmMarcBerman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsmMarcBerman/
SCOTT WIENER State Senate District 11 https://sd11.senate.ca.gov Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5100, Sacramento, CA 95814-4900; (916) 651-4011 District Office 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14800, San Francisco, CA 94102; (415) 557-1300
Twitter: @Scott_Wiener Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottWiener2/
JERRY HILL State Senate District 13 https://sd13.senate.ca.gov Capitol Office State Capitol, Room 5035, Sacramento, CA 95814-4900; (916) 651-4013 District Office 1528 South El Camino Real, Suite 303, San Mateo, CA 94402; (650) 212-3313
