FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BURLINGAME – An award-winning teacher and parents are joining together to send a message to the governor about breaking his word to our public schools in the California Teachers Association's new television and radio ad campaign that includes a concerned mother telling the governor to "take your promises on education as seriously as we do."
"Parents are just as upset with the governor's broken promises as educators," said Barbara E. Kerr, president of the 335,000-member CTA. "Like teachers, parents see the impact of state budget cuts on the classroom. They know that the governor's agenda will mean larger class sizes, more teacher layoffs and fewer classroom resources."
The new TV and radio ads are airing on more than 50 stations in all major California media markets. The CTA TV ad shows high school teacher Liane Cismowski, a former Contra Costa County teacher of the year, and Renee Stewart, the parent of a second-grader, challenging the governor for breaking his promise on funding. They also criticize his agenda of attacking voter-approved Proposition 98, the state's law that guarantees minimum funding for our schools and 6.2 million students. Cismowski quotes the governor, who said last year that shortchanging Prop. 98 would only happen "over my dead body."
"We have a message for Governor Schwarzenegger," Stewart says, standing on a school campus. Cismowski, who is also a National Board Certified teacher, says: "Keep your promises to our schools." "And our kids," Stewart adds, reminding the public that the governor borrowed $2 billion from our schools last year and now refuses to pay it back as promised. Stewart ends the TV ad by saying, "Governor Schwarzenegger, you ought to take your promises on education as seriously as we do."
The new CTA radio ads, in English and Spanish, include concerned parents delivering similar messages about the governor's broken promises. "We passed a law to guarantee minimum funding for our schools, but the governor thinks he can ignore it," one parent says in a radio spot.
CTA President Kerr concludes in one radio ad: "The governor talks about reform, but parents and teachers know what his plan really means is breaking his word to our schools and our kids."