Re: - 2008-2009 Budget Proposal
I am writing to you to strongly urge you to uphold Proposition 98, which guarantees minimum school funding, and reject the draconian proposed cuts to schools and students, set forth in recent proposals.
The proposal seeks to address the states's estimated $14 billion deficit by making the largest reduction to education funding in California history. Our students and schools did not create this budget problem, and their progress shouldn't be undermined because of it. Furthermore, the budget reductions would be disatrous to public schools and they are fundamentally inconsistent with the state goal of improving student achievement.
Voters passed Prop 98 almost 20 years ago to ensure our students and schools receive guaranteed minimum funding. They strongly re-affirmed their support for the minimum funding law in 2005. The proposal to suspend Prop. 98 conflicts with the will of the voters and jeopardizes the minimum education funding levels Prop. 98 provides for students and schools.
A state budget proposal that looks at cuts alone is not a real solution, because it doesn't address California's underlying proplems of inadequate and unstable revenue sources. We cannot talk about spending cuts without also talking about increasing revenues.
The most pressing challenge is to enact a balanced budget that continues the momentum of educational improvement that has been built since the late 1990's. This current proposed budget does not do that and anything less is unacceptable.
Respectfully, |
