Educators Experience Troubling Déjà Vu Amidst Announcement of $54 Billion Budget Deficit
SACRAMENTO — California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd issued the following statement Thursday after reviewing state budget reports released today outlining a $54 billion state budget deficit which could translate into $18 billion in cuts to education:
“Safely reopening schools and colleges requires resources and funding; not $18 billion in devastating cuts the $54 billion state budget deficit portends. These cuts would cause real harm to student learning at a time when they need more support. This also has an all-too-familiar ring for educators and students who were still recovering from the draconian cuts of the last recession. These cuts would undo the last six years of progress we have made on school funding. Our schools cannot endure another blow following this Coronavirus crisis.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted all of us—our students, educators, families, friends, and neighbors. The pandemic has shined a light on the vital role that public education plays in our society and that educators play in the lives of students and their families. We are painfully aware that the state and country are facing a recession, but for years California students, schools, and educators have had to do more with less and we can’t let our students fall further behind.
“There is no solution that does not involve aid from the federal government combined with generating more state revenues. We are calling on the federal government to authorize $1 trillion in the next CARES Act and provide $175 billion for the Education Stabilization Fund to distribute to states. Contact your lawmaker today by calling 1-855-977-1770. CTA continues to support the Schools & Communities First initiative on the November ballot. We owe it to our students to do all it takes to recover together as a state and a nation.”
“We look forward to working with the legislature and the governor to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our students is at the forefront of these budget discussions.”
The 310,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.
· https://www.cta.org/press-release/safely-reopening-schools-requires-resources-and-funding
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