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Los Angeles teacher takes action [English] [Spanish]
Issues & Action
Enough is Enough
This message about cuts decimating public education from preschool to college was delivered loudly to legislators during CTA's State of Emergency week of action May 9-13. Thousands of educators, parents, students and community members throughout California staged a myriad of activities ranging from a teach-in for tax fairness in Enscondido to a grade-in at a local mall in Newark to setting up empty chairs representing pink-slipped teachers outside of schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. There were local rallies, press conferences and funeral marches mourning the "death" of public education, whose funding has been slashed by more than $20 billion over the past three years. There were also acts of disobedience at the state Capitol.
This week was about coming to life. Taking action to remind the state that education deserves support. That funding schools is essential to buliding the future. Let's keep up the good fight.
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Who Pays Taxes
Measured as a share of family income, California’s lowest-income families pay the most in taxes. The poorest fifth of the state’s non-elderly families, with an average income of $13,200, spent 11% of their income on state taxes. In comparison, the wealthiest 1%, with an average income of $2.2 million, spent 7.8% of their income on state taxes.
More Info
Tax Cuts Widen Budget Gaps
A California Budget Project Report
When states cut taxes, typically they must make up for the lost revenues by reducing spending, and expenditure cuts tend to reduce any positive impact that tax cuts might have on state economies.Sharing the Burden of Economic Recovery
10 tax policies for $20 billion
With the state facing ongoing yearly deficits of $20 billion, the survival of basic services and a healthy public sector is at stake. To address this looming future, the burden of recovery must be shared fairly — in contrast to the current path by which public services, the poor and education have taken the largest cuts and the middle-class has borne the increased tax burden.Where Do State Tax Dollars Go
Report from the California Budget Project
The State budget is actually a "local budget," which spends more than 70 cents of every tax dollar supporting local communities, such as healthcare services, public safety, and public education. In other words, these dollars support services that impact the lives of every Californian.
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