State senators on education: 'Suck it up'
Teacher after teacher recently told me our divided legislators need to talk to one another to fix the educational funding crisis.
Good news: While I didn't exactly get them talking, I did get state senators on both sides of the aisle to agree on something.
But, I'm sorry to say, the agreement was that the next school year is going to be tough.
In the words of Senator Bob Huff, "Everybody's going to have to suck it in a little bit."
If you are inclined to get upset with Huff, chair of the Senate Republican caucus, consider it takes true leadership to deliver information we don't want to hear.
I had a boss once who would walk up and say, "I've got some bad news." It used to drive me crazy – until I realized he was giving my brain a moment to prepare for what was to come.
Huff's words are like that. Plain-spoken honesty is what we need from people we elect, regardless of the outcome. It's the only way to prepare.
Democrat Sen. Lou Correa practically applauded Huff's statement, not that he is satisfied with the sorry state of our educational system either.
"If he means suck it up, if he means we're going to have to struggle here, he's absolutely right," Correa told me.
To catch you up, some 1,500 teaching positions were eliminated in Orange County last year and another 2,219 pink slips went out in March. So, I'm visiting with teachers, legislators, superintendents, school boards and parents looking for solutions. Last week, we heard from teachers. Today, legislators have the floor. Next: superintendents.
Blaming Sacramento is pointless, Correa said. Instead, the senator pointed to the economy for the state's