I gave this testimony today before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.
Chairman Harkin and subcommittee members, thank you for this invitation to testify on behalf of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation's second largest. I am Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines. Our enrollment of 618,000 students is larger than the total number of students who attend public school in 25 states. I also would like to take this opportunity to thank Chairman Harkin for his strong leadership and advocacy for education issues in the Congress. We stand together in the march toward an educated America, where all students are prepared and encouraged to read, write, think and speak as 21st Century learners who will become the next generation of leaders, teachers, doctors, engineers, writers, electricians, contractors, and business owners. That will not happen if our district and school districts across the nation in big cities, small towns and rural areas continue to hemorrhage teachers and other essential employees.
California's Bad News Budget
In California, public education is suffering one of the greatest threats in decades as funding