Contacts: Dina Martin (650) 552-5491 or Jonathan Goldman (650) 552-5320
BURLINGAME - With the June 30 deadline quickly approaching, the California Teachers Association (CTA) will launch a radio ad tomorrow that calls on the governor and the Legislature to keep their promise to make education a priority and to pass a budget that will protect schools and colleges from further devastating cuts.
The ad asks listeners to imagine a dialogue between two “newscasters” on July 1, the day after the state budget deadline, and details the impact to students and communities if there are more cuts to public education.
“Our schools are in a state of emergency,” said CTA President David A. Sanchez. “Our teachers, students and entire education communities deserve better, and they’ve been calling on the governor and lawmakers for months to protect students, schools and colleges from further cuts. The governor promised to make schools and students a priority in the state budget and to protect them from further cuts. We expect him and all lawmakers to uphold that promise.”
The radio ad follows on the heels of massive statewide rallies, protests and lobbying efforts by thousands of educators, parents, school administrators and community members to persuade the Legislature to take action to protect schools and colleges from having to lay off another 20,000 K-12 teachers, eliminate vital school programs, decrease instruction days and make higher education further out of reach for many students. School districts face a July 1 deadline to pass their own budgets, and without action by the Legislature, California schools face an uncertain future.
The ad concludes with one newscaster’s observation: “You know this isn’t just about whether we’ll ever have a state budget. This is about whether Californians will have a better future….” It also calls on Californians to contact the governor and their lawmakers to tell them to pass a budget that protects our students and California’s future.
The 60-second radio ad begins tomorrow and will air on over 80 AM and FM radio stations statewide. The ad is also airing on Spanish- and Asian-language stations.
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The 325,000 member CTA is affiliated with the 3.2-million member National Education Association