¡Sí Se Puede!

David A. Sanchez, CTA President

Recently I’ve been traveling the state, appearing with CTA members who received RIF notices, to bring attention to the absurdity of the governor’s proposed $4.8 billion in cuts to our public schools. As I listen to these dedicated teachers, I’m affected by their sense of commitment and loyalty to a system that pro­fess­es to no longer need their services.

As a teacher myself, I think about how I would feel receiving a notice that essentially said I was an expendable employee, someone unneeded and unwanted. As a citizen of this state, the cuts feel to me like our elected representatives really don’t care about what this means for our students, our local communities and our future. They send the message that our state de­serts its own in a time of great need. And as a leader of CTA, I’m outraged by the lack of support for our teachers. The fact that so many good teachers and other education professionals in so many public schools are being thoughtlessly discarded is indefensible. An ailing economy cannot be remedied by abandoning its schools and denying coming generations opportunity and advancement.

I want you all to know that CTA has not been standing idly by and waiting to see what happens. We’ve been outspoken about the impact of these proposed cuts since January, and we’ve been organizing in local schools and communities throughout the state.

Part of our defense is the “Cuts Hurt” Bus Tour launched in early April. The tour’s progress can be followed from city to city at www.cta.org. At each stop, we have highlighted the devastating consequences of the governor’s proposed budget cuts to public education, and listened as our fellow educators told their stories about what it was like to receive a pink slip.

These are professionals who have students in need, children of their own to care for, and mortgages to pay. These are new mothers and single parents and families with financial obligations like health care and day care and other basic needs such as food and shelter. The instability created by lawmakers unwilling to set education as a top priority is scaring much-needed teachers out of the profession for good. Teachers have begun interviewing for jobs out of state because California is no longer a viable employment option. One teacher at the bus stop in Orange County at Foothill Ranch Elementary School commented that she could not wait until August at the eleventh hour to find out if she still had a job. She is now interviewing for positions in Virginia.

On May 14, coinciding with California Day of the Teacher and the mid-May revision of the state budget, CTA will be sponsoring a statewide day of action against the proposed cuts and against the cuts-only approach to solving this ballooning state deficit. Through a concerted effort at the local level, we will bring widespread attention to this crisis. We ask that you use this day to join your local chapter in planning a protest, rally, informational picketing, news conference, or any event to speak out against the impact of these cuts to students, educators, schools and colleges. We want to make a bold statement against these cuts across the state. Your voice will speak volumes.

Hearing the stories of pink-slipped teachers firsthand and seeing the continued commitment of our members in the face of such adversity is a powerful experience. CTA refuses to let our educators get trampled on by careless government leaders. We will take this fight to the local streets with you so that our communities will not be deprived and students can be given an opportunity to thrive. Together, we can bring California through this difficult year and create a better future for ourselves and coming generations.