Stand Up for California's Children and America's Future
I am a native Californian. I was brought up by generations who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. They were people of modest means who dreamed of a better future for their children and grandchildren, and they knew that education was the key to that future. I attended public schools in California and then was privileged to attend the University of California at Davis and the University of California at Santa Barbara. I have had a wonderful life and my education was the key.
Later, as the state grew richer, and more school financial responsibility for education went to Sacramento, our great educational system from kindergarten to higher education began to slip. The state cut back a little, then a little more, then a lot more. The vaunted education system that was 5th of the 50 states in per pupil spending in 1965 has dropped to 47th, and the decline continues. This is nothing short of tragic. Just as the global economy and the information age made education more important than ever, the California dream of a great education for all, became a tragic nightmare of diminished expectations. Quite frankly, the grown-ups of my generation are letting our children down.
We have an opportunity to begin reversing that trend. We are one of only four states that requires a two-thirds vote to raise money locally for schools. If we reduce that to 55%, still a super majority, but not so dramatic and difficult to achieve, we could allow communities to raise additional funds to help their local schools meet local needs. There is a constitutional initiative to do just that, the Local Control of Local Classrooms Funding Act, currently being qualified to go before voters this November.
The authors have set a limit on how quickly additional local support can grow -- $250 per election, adjusted for inflation -- and have allowed senior citizens who choose to do so, to opt out. They have also required strict disclosure and accountability as to how the funds will be used, and are spent. This is a reasonable, realistic opportunity to raise our level of local support for K-12 education, even as we protect homeowners and seniors. I hope you will join the California Parent Teachers Association and lots of good people across our state in rising to the challenge of helping our children to compete in the global economy. As California goes, so goes the nation. Think about and act to support this initiative act. Please raise
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