Is this the headline we expect to see in the tenth year of an economic expansion?

Painful Budget Cuts Around corner, Despite Windfall

Increasing Santa Cruz County’s 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.

Reach out to us here to put together information for your community!

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

BILL MONNING State Senate District 17 https://sd17.senate.ca.gov/ State Capitol, Room 4040, Sacramento, CA 95814-4900; (916) 651-4017 District Offices 1026 Palm Street, Suite 201, San Luis Obispo, CA  93401; (805) 549-3784; 99 Pacific Street, Suite 575 F, Monterey, CA 93940; (831) 657-6315; 701 Ocean Street, Suite 318A, Santa Cruz, CA  95060; (831) 425-0401
Twitter: @billmonning   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CA.bill.monning/

MARK STONE Assembly District 29 https://a29.asmdc.org/ Capitol Office Room 3146 Sacramento, CA 94249-0029; (916) 319-2029  District Office 701 Ocean Street, Suite 318-B, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; (831) 425-1503  99 Pacific Street, Suite 575G, Monterey, CA 93940; (831) 649-2832
Twitter: @AsmMarkStone    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymemberMarkStone/

ROBERT RIVAS Assembly District 30 https://a30.asmdc.org/ Capitol Office, Room 5158 Sacramento, CA 94249-0030; (916) 319-2030  District Office 60 W. Market Street, Suite 110, Salinas, CA 93901; (831) 759-8676  525 Monterey Street, Soledad, CA 93960; (831) 759-8676
Twitter: @RobertRivas_CA    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supervisorrivas/