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CTA President
Barbara E. Kerr |
I have always said — and even wrote in this column last year — CTA will work with anyone who wants to help our public schools. That's why we and the entire education community worked with Governor Schwarzenegger last year to develop a state education budget that kept core funding for schools, protected the integrity of the minimum funding guarantees for public schools in Proposition 98, and helped the state close the budget deficit.
We made an agreement with the governor to cut education funding by $2 billion with the promise that the money would be restored and that public schools would get their fair share of any additional state revenues.
We all know what happened: State revenues did go up, but the governor broke his promise and submitted a budget that takes more than $2 billion from K-14 education.
He's also proposing a merit pay plan for educators, trying to replace our solid retirement system with a risky 401(k) plan that would put all our pensions in danger, trying to make it harder for teachers and other public employees to be involved in the political process, and introducing an initiative that would destroy the funding protections CTA fought so hard to achieve and California voters approved in Proposition 98 almost 20 years ago.
CTA is going to fight any proposal that destroys the minimum funding guarantees of Prop. 98, that makes it harder to attract and keep quality teachers in our classrooms, and that attempts to silence the voices of educators in the political process.
We cannot get discouraged by these attacks. We must stand up for what we believe in and for what we know is right for the future of public education and our state. I ask you to remember words of Florynce Kennedy, an African American civil rights lawyer and founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus, who said, "Don't agonize. Organize!"
The governor and his big-business allies are carefully planning a strategic assault on public education and employee unions. It's a strategy that not only uses his proposed state budget to whack school funding and dismantle the voter-approved Prop. 98, but also unleashes a barrage of initiatives that he and his "special interest" pals have been filing every day with the secretary of state's office.
The governor has threatened lawmakers that if they don't do what he wants, he'll call a special election and take his initiatives to the voters. So far, he and his big-business partners have filed about 40 initiatives. Some of them would cap state spending, which impacts all school budgets. A couple offer plans to redraw legislative boundaries. Others repeal portions of Prop. 98 and would allow across-the-board cuts up to three times a year. One would undercut every local collective bargaining agreement in the state. Another would eliminate seniority and tenure, requiring teachers to work 10 years before getting permanent status. And one would attempt to silence the voices of teachers, nurses, firefighters and state workers by making it difficult for public employee unions to spend any dues money on political issues.
For those of you who remember, these attacks have a very familiar sound. It's as if Pete Wilson has taken over Governor Schwarzenegger's body. He, like Wilson, has turned his back on the students and teachers of this state.
But the governor should also remember what CTA did to the initiatives brought to the ballot by Pete Wilson. We defeated every one of them. He needs to remember that if he wants to "bring it to the people," we are the people.
The governor likes to quote movie lines. I've got a favorite movie, too, and in it the "Dark Side" loses because the "FORCE" is too powerful. You are CTA's FORCE. You give CTA the power and ability to conquer any challenge. And it's going to take all of us. Sometimes, we would like to close the classroom door and not come out until what's happening is over. That is not an option this year.
CTA is already organizing on all fronts. We held meetings at State Council to get input from members. CTA radio ads are running on 56 stations across the state. We're working with a broad coalition of groups to submit our own initiatives that will protect school funding, make sure that big business pays its fair share and provide real health care reforms for all Californians. We're working with the statewide Education Coalition, including parents, superintendents, school board members and classified employees to oppose the governor's proposed budget and his attacks on our public schools. I encourage you to build coalitions and work with the local education groups in your communities.
We are all in this together and we cannot fall into any traps that are meant to divide us.
Don't agonize. Organize!
