FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SACRAMENTO – The California Education Coalition today launched their new website to educate Californians about the impact of Governor Schwarzenegger's broken promises on education.
The website, www.protectstudents.org, highlights the fact that Governor Schwarzenegger has broken his word to California's students and schools on two fronts, by withholding $2 billion in this year's budget and by proposing changes to the voter approved Proposition 98 – changes which would eliminate the minimum funding protections for schools via his flawed "Living Within Our Means" initiative proposal.
"Protectstudents.org is designed to be another tool in the fight against the continued attack on education funding," explained Education Coalition spokesman Roger Salazar. "It will help California parents, teachers, and students, as well as other concerned citizens, learn about the devastating impact of the Governor's broken promises on education and what we are doing to convince the Governor that our students and schools deserve better."
Governor Schwarzenegger's budget proposal underfunds Prop. 98; it reneges on his promise to our schools and students by withholding $2 billion; and will only lead to more school closures, larger class sizes, additional layoffs of teachers and school support personnel, and the elimination of key student programs.
The website includes sections explaining who the coalition is and what they do, as well as a section explaining the coalition's commitment to Prop. 98. Also on the website are coalition press releases and suggestions on what Californians can do to help in a "Take Action" section.
The "District Cuts" section will highlight a few school districts each week, detailing cuts they have been forced to make due to decreased education funding.
"Parents, teachers and administrators continue to show great concern over the proposed budget and the Governor's anti-Proposition 98 budget initiative," said Salazar. "www.protectstudents.org is here to provide an additional resource to those looking for more information."
The Education Coalition consists of organizations representing more than a million parents, teachers, school employees, school board members and administrators.
Other Education Websites
Education Coalition Members:
Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)
www.acsa.org
California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO)
www.casbo.org
California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA)
www.ccsesa.org
California Federation of Teachers (CFT-AFL-CIO)
www.cft.org
California School Boards Association (CSBA)
www.csba.org
California School Employees Association
www.csea.com
California State PTA
www.capta.org
California Teachers Association
www.cta.org
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
www.seiu.org
Local Education Coalitions:
Support Our Schools—Santa Cruz County
www.campaignSOS.org
Orange County Education Coalition
www.svpta.org/legislative/2-2005CallToAction.html
Torrance Parents
www.torranceparents.org
Ventura Education Partnership
www.ventura-sos.org
Cupertino Coalition for Education
cupertinocoalition.org
Caravan for Kids (PTA)
www.caravanforkids.org