Day of Action highlights larger problems in California schools
The Emerson Elementary students, along with thousands of students and educators in 33 states across the country, staged demonstrations in a national day of protest against cuts in public education funding.California alone has seen $17 billion in cuts to its public school system, and may be facing almost $3 billion more.I got out of the shower early Thursday morning on March 4 to the sound of hundreds of little voices chanting “Save Our School!” As I pulled out of the driveway, I saw the Emerson Elementary School kids from across the street from my house marching on Lawton Avenue and down 45th Street, kids as young as five that held signs reading “Save my school.” The sight was heartbreaking, and an example of a larger phenomena occurring throughout the state and country.
While the economy’s downward spiral has affected all areas of public finance, public education is facing disproportionate cuts. Education spending accounts for about 40 percent of the state budget, but schools have experienced about 60 percent of the statewide cuts to deal with the economy.
Few would call this a simple problem. The entire country is in the middle of a prolonged and devastating recession. Still, California’s own economic woes began before t
