Future Shock tonight:
March 29, 2011 (Sacramento) – Forty desks crammed into a classroom? Sports banners showing championships never won? Disappearing teachers?
Sacramento parents tonight will get a chance to see the school of the future if the Legislature fails to act to give voters an opportunity to extend taxes that are set to expire at the end of June.
Sutter Middle School parents and students will host an open house at 6:30 p.m. tonight (3150 I Street, 95816) and will show the community what Sacramento schools are likely to look like if the Legislature fails to address California’s $26 billion budget deficit. Governor Jerry Brown has said that if the Legislature will not agree to put the tax extensions on the ballot, he will move to an “all cuts” budget, triggering massive school layoffs, and a loss of programs such as sports, summer school and bus transportation.
Sutter parents and students are very concerned about the looming cuts and have developed tonight’s unique open house for the community to help put a bigger spotlight on the problem.
Some of tonight’s event will be held in the school library. When parents and students arrive, they’ll see as many as 40 student desks crammed into a tight space in the library – a replica of the classroom of the future if the taxes are allowed to expire and the budget is severely cut. They will also see new “room capacity” safety signs showing a rising capacity for each classroom – 30 students, then 32, then 36, then 40 – signifying bulging class sizes of the future.
Attendees tonight will learn about a new phenomena – The Incredible Disappearing Teacher – that will result if 405 Sacramento City teachers are laid off, if the taxes are not extended.
Sutter students are making new sports banners for the school for tonight – banners to display future athletic championships never won. If the taxes aren’t extended and Sacramento has to absorb $22.35 million in cuts, the school board already has voted to eliminate all sports and other extra curriculars in the district.
Parents and students tonight also will see what student class schedules would look like in the future, with disappearing course electives, advanced classes and other offerings.
“The time is now for the community to get involved and paint a picture of how dire these circumstances really are,” said Pia Wong, Sutter parent who is part of a group of parents organizing the event. “Legislators need to know what is at stake if we don’t get these tax extensions on the ballot in June.”
Contact: Gabe Ross
(916) 643-9145
gabe-ross@scusd.edu