Thousands of California teachers, faculty, face lay-offs
by Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau | 03/17/2010 7:37 PM
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SAN FRANCISCO, California - Close to 22,000 teachers and school employees in California received pink slips yesterday.
For the past month, Filipino students at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School in San Francisco have been worried about losing their teachers.
“It feels so sad,” said elementary school student Robert Manuyag. “If we don’t learn, we won’t know anything.”
Not all of the pink slips will mean layoffs. Last year, 40% of the 26,000 teachers that received layoff notices kept their jobs. But with the current economy, some are not as optimistic this time around that the pink slips will be rescinded in May.
Over 300 school administrators throughout the state went to Sacramento to lobby lawmakers and find answers to the budget cuts, especially the deep cuts in education. California faces a US$20 billion budget deficit.
Bessie Carmichael Principal Jeffrey Burgos was at the State Capitol to lobby. Burgos believes pink slips will be near-guarantees for being laid off.
“In this case, it’s very real, these pink slips. But when you have no money, how are you able to keep anybody? Everyone is in limbo; even I’m not sure right now,” Burgos said.
Parents have been worried, too, holding meetings, trying to make back-up plans in case the cuts do go through this time.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the state over the pink