California's Gamble on K-12 Education is Gamble on Our Future
Predicating education financing on California's legislators busy posturing on the budget for re-election or on voter emotions in June of 2011 is looking more and more like a bad bet. In Sacramento Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to extend tax hikes for another five years that state lawmakers approved last year as temporary in order to hold K-12 education and public safety somewhat "harmless" has been met by delaying and dodging tactics. So, even if the proposal makes it to the statewide ballot, the bet is hedged by pinning the survival of California's schools on a public that feels its pocketbooks have run dry. Californians do not have a history of voting for tax hikes -- any tax hikes.
So what's a Governor to do? Take a page from the classroom. "Show and Tell" is an effective communication strategy. I appreciate much of the frank talk and tough choices Governor Brown has put forward. However, I think we're going to need a much bigger dose of reality. We need black