In March, 2,000 of our colleagues received preliminary layoff notices: classroom teachers, school librarians, counselors, school social workers and other educators who bring life to our schools and change the lives of students. Each one received a letter that told them their livelihood is in jeopardy.

These pieces of paper carry heavy burdens. We all know the devastating impact that even one layoff can have — on the person who receives it, the students they serve, and the entire community around them.

“Our system enriches corporations who can afford to pay more — and it comes at the expense of our students, educators and communities.”

It would be easy to blame it all on this year’s budget shortfall (which is estimated by the Governor at $38 billion and by the Legislative Analyst at $73 billion). While that may be the immediate issue before us, it’s only a current symptom of an issue that has been plaguing us for decades. Since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, our state budget has disproportionately relied on revenue from income taxes that are subject to the ups and downs of the economy. As we have all seen, revenues can be unpredictable and public schools remain chronically underfunded.

This isn’t an accident, it’s by design. California is a state of deep inequity where corporations pay only around half of what they paid in taxes a generation ago. Our system enriches corporations who can afford to pay more — and it comes at the expense of our students, educators and communities.

We need long-term, robust funding for our schools. California is the fifth-largest economy in the world; there’s no excuse to have chronically underfunded schools. It’s time for corporations to pay their fair share.

California is still grappling with a near- and long-term teacher shortage; classrooms in some districts went months this year without a full-time instructor in place. Laying off educators will only exacerbate the problem by discouraging aspiring educators from entering the profession.

In the coming weeks and months, we will treat every layoff notice as an affront to us all. We’ll never make it easy for districts to lay off dedicated educators.

That means challenging Reductions in Force (RIFs) through hearings and local
organizing, including working with parents and our communities to call attention to the real-world impact layoffs have on students, educators and communities.

CTA and our local chapters will support any member fighting a layoff to the full extent possible. And our organizing is critical — together we have the power to stop layoffs.

There is power in our union — in our connections to each other, in our commitments to each other. We are devoting our resources to local chapters to build that power and connection at every worksite. This includes continuing historic release time for local presidents and organizing grants for local chapters into the next school year.

We will fight back, in solidarity, because as a union we truly believe that an injury to one is an injury to all.

David B. Goldberg
CTA PRESIDENT