Whether school districts are forced to eliminate class-size reduction and music, arts and sports programs, lay off teachers, classified employees and other staff, or eliminate basic supplies (like copy paper), this year’s budget cuts and bad economy are hurting our schools and students. Below are just a few examples of responses received from CTA members when asked: how have the state budget cuts impacted students in the classroom, and what do more mid-year cuts mean for California’s future?
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When I first started teaching primary some 20 years ago, I had a classroom aide for three hours. We also had a resource specialist and a Title 1 teacher on staff who took small groups of students who were falling behind. Now, I have no aide and no support teachers to work with students who may be struggling. I am expected to differentiate my instruction and give each of my students a personalized plan which will raise test scores by a predetermined percentage. Granted, I no longer have 32 students, but it is impossible to work with individuals or small groups for more than a few minutes in a classroom full of 6-year-olds. I now have fewer resources and more mandated expectations than ever! What more can we cut? Heat? Light? Water?
Susan Ross
Amador County Unified
I work at River Springs Charter School. As of November 24, our director was laid off due to budget cuts. Now another director will be traveling back and forth from two sites to pick up the slack. In addition, support staff have been laid off, or are faced with that possibility in the beginning of 2009. Also, some teachers may face the ax during mid-semester of next year. I am concerned about my own job. I live in San Diego, which has had a hiring freeze for a couple of years now and will probably only get worse. I enjoy the position and school I am with now, however these budget cuts are making for a tense and nervous situation. Also, my wife is pregnant with twins! Perhaps my job will be secure, nonetheless I worry about all the other educators both in and outside of my school. This is an inexcusable situation. We are the wealthiest state in the nation, yet one the poorest in terms of financing our schools and raising revenue for other important services. It's time for a ballot measure that frees us from our 2/3 majority budget trap so that progressive education legislation can be passed.
John Walker
Escondido Union High School District
Our math classes are packed to the brim. Our neediest students are in "Algebra A," a course for freshmen who NEED a two-year Algebra program. When I started teaching 10 years ago, these were the first programs targeted for 20:1, and boy, did they need it. Now those classes are staffed at 34:1 at our site – because, due to budget cuts, when one teacher retired, we didn't replace him; we just crammed all the kids into the other teachers' classes. That means that students most in need of extra assistance and attention are in jam-packed classes where they cannot receive either. How can we be expected to increase test scores when our neediest students receive less and less teacher time?
Alison Signorotti
Amador County Unified
I teach 2nd grade at Van Buren Elementary in Indio (a Title 1 School that is 98% Hispanic). Despite the fact that my students live in poverty and lack English language experience, my second-graders scored so high on the CST's, they beat district, county and state averages in Language Arts and Math. I was recently elected Elementary School Teacher of the Year for Desert Sands Unified School District. Ironically, the same day I won my award, I was given my RIF notice! I have been teaching 12 years, but since I am new to the district and did not have tenure, I was laid off. I ended up keeping my job this year, but with the budget cuts I am in danger of being laid off once again. With Class Size Reduction you are losing talented and dedicated teachers like me! And who suffers? The kids! I give these kids 100% and so should you - they deserve more. Invest in our future!
Karen E. DeNovi
Desert Sands Unified
I teach Woodshop, one of the last. I'm glad to have a job which I enjoy. My budget for six classes that average 36 kids per class is $100 for the entire year. I personally spend between $500 and $1000 per month to keep my little program running. Yes that's right: about $10,000 per year. I collect shop fees but only about half the kids are able to pay. Teachers all over the state have become enablers by allowing the districts to force them to have to buy all of the materials that they need to perform their jobs. I don't know what you can do as a teacher. I think that all teachers should tell their principals: “I am sorry the district is so poor, but I can't supply [all the materials and supplies] needed for students to learn.” The state education system is going to hell in a hand bag.
Jeff Seiver
Anaheim Union High School District
No copy paper.
No ink cartridges for computers.
No hall passes for kids to go to the bathroom.
No index cards for activities/learning.
No scantrons for tests.
No pens.
No overhead transparencies.
No nothing!
In other words, nothing to do our jobs!
This is absurd! I bet Arnold has paper and pens in his office!
Diane Gray
Capistrano Unified
Certificated staff have not received a raise since 2005. Morale is at an all-time low! Classroom funding has been cut; we can't even get ink for our classroom printers to send home newsletters to our parents. The younger teachers are talking about changing careers. The superintendent said the only way to get a raise is to switch to a lesser health plan with a higher deductible. That's a no-win situation for our teachers! We want our political representatives to go to bat for us and do what it takes to make things right for us. Our kids deserve teachers who are well respected with decent pay and benefits!
Daniel Coleman
Fortuna Union Elementary School District
We are basically operating on a "shoe string" budget. Our supply budget has never been enough, but now we have been cut 25 percent more for this year, which means we have to dig deeper into our own pockets for student needs. Our parents are very helpful but it is not enough. Our teachers are afraid that they will lose their jobs or that our salaries may be cut. We are currently working without a contract. We did not receive any cost of living increase this year. Our school bus system has been almost completely eliminated. We have lost most of our Technology staff. There are no new funds for updating computers or buying new ones. We have an excellent program called "TLC," which has been very successful in helping all learners achieve. We believe we will be losing that program unless our PTA pays for it. Currently, the PTA pays for music classes and field trips and for an AIDE for the “TLC” program. I don't know how they can possibly afford to do any more. Last year, families in our community raised $1 million to help defray the costs of Class Size Reduction. It simply does not make sense that our state could be in so much trouble and yet continue to make California the last in the nation regarding education funds for children! Teacher morale is obviously low but our teachers remain true professionals. You would never know that there was a problem if you were in their classroom. But they are scared. We all feel like we are fighting an uphill battle.
Lori Walker
Capistrano Unified
Because of the state budget cuts, the Huntington Beach Union High School District is proposing to cut 100 class sections (17 class sections per school). I was offered a partial contract for the semester. I currently teach three classes with a total of 98 students. I (along with the other semester-contract teachers) will most likely not be hired back next semester due to mid-year budget cuts. The students will be filtered into existing Algebra 1 and Basic Algebra classes, increasing class sizes so that they will be at or very near the legal limit (37 students/class). This would be a great disservice to students and teachers in the district. And deeper cuts are expected next year.
Blair Sakai
Huntington Beach Union High School District
I am a history teacher first; the boys’ soccer coach second. Cuts were made this year and I'm sure the cuts will continue next year. The cuts are affecting the classrooms and all sports in our high schools. Test scores have been improving, in part, due to funding. But now? If we must accept cuts, remember the kids and their families when making cuts!
Oscar Segovia
Chaffey Union High School District
I have been a middle school PE teacher for four years. Before the budget cuts we were able to provide after-school sports to all of our students. This included all team sports throughout the year, as well as bus transportation, and a very small stipend for those who helped coach. I know Gov. Schwarzenegger is a huge advocate for staying physically active; our school participates in the Governor’s Challenge annually. However, since the budget cuts, ALL of our team sports have been dropped. This was a great opportunity to motivate students to do well in school and be rewarded with sports competition. It was extremely successful last year for testing purposes, as well. Our school had the highest increase in test scores in the state last year with 111 points! For the sake of our student's health, well being, social skills development and many more factors, we need to find a way to put sports back into the budget. I am a strong advocate for lifelong learning – mental, physical and emotional – and without sports, we are diminishing the future of our children.
Mindie Gilliland
Lake Elsinore Unified
This sounds totally lame, but we need copies. We are supposed to bring in outside reading material that goes beyond the textbook and we don't have a big enough copy budget. I would love to make copies of some up-to-date election articles and psychology articles, but I do not even have enough of a copy budget for the class sets I need.
Shannon Patton
Chaffey Union High School District