The California Democracy Act Part of Solution to State Education Budget Cuts, Say Demonstrators
By Duane CampbellOver 2000 union faculty, students and their supporters rallied at the California State Capitol in Sacramento today in support of adequate funding for public education, both k-12 and higher education. The rally was one of more than 40 events across the state asking people to Stand up for Education. Faculty and students came from U.C. Davis, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley, as well as CSU Sacramento, Chico, and local community colleges.
George Lakoff, well known for his works on framing issues argued for signing petitions for the California Democracy Act which would reduce the requirement to pass a state budget from the current 2/3 vote to a simple majority.
Education Activists Need Strategy Beyond Marches
By Randy ShawMass protests last week against school funding cuts and tuition hikes spoke powerfully about California’s misplaced priorities. As occurred with campus protests last fall, the media gave overwhelmingly sympathetic coverage (other than to the self-indulgent group who blocked an Oakland freeway, diverting television coverage away from legitimate protests). But activists’ strategy for achieving their goals is far from clear.
By Lillian Taiz
California Faculty Association
The March 4th actions in support of public education around California and in 32 other states have fired the imagination of Americans who believe in our public school system.
Here in California, as leaders make decisions about how we will fund education, tens of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets to say loudly and clearly that the time has come for our state to reinvest in public schools and colleges.
The March 4th protests were historic. They were the largest statewide actions for education in memory. Moreover, for the first time in our state, all segments of public education from pre-school through Ph.D are working together to secure our educational system’s future.
