Schools need more funding, not less

By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin

Sixth-grader Wilberto Padilla is sad to think that many of his favorite teachers won't be returning next year because they've been laid off. "It's not good," says the English language learner at Salk Middle School in Sacramento. "There are teachers I like who give me good grades. I'm going to miss them."

"They are good teachers here who are good with the students," says his classmate Karina Ayala. "They help us if we don't understand something. I'm sad."

Unfortunately, budget cuts have become a way of life in the San Juan Unified School District. Hundreds of teachers — and all of the counselors, nurses, librarians and vice principals — have been issued pink slips.

Salk Middle School has been hit especially hard: Eighteen of the school's 34 teachers have received pink slips [three have been rescinded]. In addition, most of the school's electives have been eliminated, along with most professional development programs supporting those who teach the low socioeconomic student population.

The district stands to lose $8 million next year, as a result of the governor not keeping his word about protecting Prop. 98 minimum funding levels. The governor's proposed spending cap could further weaken school funding protections by allowing multiple rounds of midyear across-the-board cuts. If that occurs, class size would be increased and athletic and extracurricular activities would be eliminated. The district has already suffered numerous cutbacks over the past few years due to funding shortfalls and declining enrollment. Four elementary schools were closed last year, and the school board has decided to close two more this summer.

The governor's proposed budget is a disaster for San Juan, making it very difficult to continue the progress students are making toward achieving California's world-class content standards. "California should be in the top seven — not the bottom seven states — when it comes to dollars spent per pupil," says Nancy Waltz, president of the San Juan Teachers Association (SJTA).

Many SJTA members received RIF notices "just in case" the district can't afford to keep them. If they're asked to return in the summer, it may be too late. Many will have accepted other jobs in the meantime or changed careers entirely. Schools like Salk that have the neediest student populations will continue to struggle with high teacher turnover and inexperienced staffs.

"Our teachers are the last in and the first out in terms of seniority," says Principal Jody Graf. "They are really good teachers who want to come back."

First-year math teacher Debbie Ortmann would definitely like to come back, and is sad to think she may not. "I want to stay here because my heart is here," says Ortmann, described by her principal as an excellent probationary teacher who was not renewed due to budget cuts. "My biggest worry is that I might accept another position and then one will open up here. If that were to happen, I'd be really torn."

"Teaching at this Title I, low-performing school site is very challenging, and there are many good teachers here who go the extra mile," says math teacher John Lofgren. He says that his students have asked him why he is being "fired" and whether he has done something wrong. He explains that it's nothing he has done personally and that it has to do with circumstances beyond his control.

"I feel terrible; it's definitely had an effect on me," says Kenyan Epps, a sixth-grade social studies teacher who has been at the school for three years. "I try to put on my best face in front of the students about being laid off, but it's tough." Epps, who is African American, provides a positive male role model to students of color who make up most of the student body.

His students, he says, need stability and consistency at school because it is often lacking at home. "They are impoverished. Some of them are homeless and from broken families, or living with grandparents because their parents are incarcerated. It's hard for many of them to develop relationships with teachers, because they may not trust adults. It takes them a while to warm up when people are constantly coming and going. And now many of their teachers won't be returning next year."

Julie Johnson, the school's only counselor for 650 students, has also been given a pink slip. "For the kids, it will mean one less person to advocate for them and help them deal with issues such as relationships, anger management, sexuality, suicide prevention and gang intervention. Many of these kids have so many layers of issues. Without a counselor, their frustration and stress levels may escalate. They might begin acting out or looking more at street activities. More students will probably get into fights, get suspended and miss school. There is no way that our remaining teachers will be able to keep up with all of this."

More in the way of funding and resources will be necessary if students are to succeed academically, say Salk faculty. They cite the need for before- and after-school programs, enrichment programs and intervention programs. The school is rated low on the Academic Performance Index, but test scores have been rising steadily. And that progress is threatened, they say, with new cutbacks that are on the verge of taking place.

"It's almost like we are throwing our kids away," says Jamal Hicks, who teaches English language learners. "Sometimes I worry that because we aren't willing to invest in our kids, we're preparing them for prison in the future. I don't think we're tackling our problems here. We're just sweeping them under the carpet. This is a crisis, and our students need serious help."

History teacher Milt Reis, who was not issued a pink slip, believes that schools are chronically underfunded in California because right-wing politicians would like to eliminate public education and pave the way for privatization of schools. "Clearly our leaders are not concerned about educating everyone, because if they were, they would be fully funding education instead of taking money away from it. You don't fix education by taking money away."

Reis, however, believes the governor made a "miscalculation" when he decided to betray public schools on the issue of Prop. 98. "He doesn't realize how much we're going to fight this, and how much of a bipartisan effort this will be," says Reis, who serves on the SJTA Executive Board. "He is not going to be successful because we are not going to let him be successful. This issue has united people in the education community, organized labor and the public sector in a way that's never happened before. We are not going to let him destroy public education in California."