Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, acknowledging that California faces tough economic times, proposed an austere budget Thursday for the next fiscal year that would take billions of dollars from public schools, shut down four dozen state parks and release tens of thousands of prisoners to close a projected $14.5 billion deficit...Virtually every state department was required to slash 10 percent from this year's spending, a move that would cut services for many Californians, especially the poor, the elderly and the disabled...
Schwarzenegger's planned trims include the elimination of $4.8 billion from public schools over the next 1 1/2 years and a reduction of prison imates by 35,000, including the early release of 22,000 inmates over the next two years. The budget would also cut prison staff by 6,000, including the layoffs of 2,000 prison guards...The San Francisco Chronicle
Mr. Hines
I am out and out perplexed in regards to what I see as a 'crystal clear' necessity. As stated in the excerpts from the Chronicle article above, in California, almost every state department is going to cut 10% of this year's spending. In most states, a very similar situation exists. We are in the throws of an economic crisis, as we have been reminded over and over, ever since the day we woke up and it was upon us.
States are comprised of many departments, or state works. In every state, these departments are falling victim to cuts not seen in years if ever. There are no alternatives. Even with stimulus funds, many states still find themselves hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. California quite possibly has the highest deficit of all. Drastic measures, to say the least, are on the horizon.
As Governor Schwarzenegger has outlined, almost every state department will be impacted. Not to mention the proposed early release of up to 35000 prison inmates back into society (one where being a felon and seeking employment is difficult enough without the economy being what it is). Who is sacred? What function of the state is untouchable, or immune to the disaster at hand?
I say none. This status quot reluctance to make cuts in the area of education is nonsense. The artificial cloak of sovereignty that has been placed over the education system needs to be lifted. Public education is a state function that costs billions, and is subject to cut backs just as any other state function.
The facts surrounding the subject are so egregiously embellished and misrepresented, I can almost begin to understand why the public is so easily fooled. Cuts in the area of education is characterized as the cancellation of numerous teacher's contracts, the disproportionate increase of class size, and diminished curriculum.
That representation is at best incomplete, if not false. The truth is in most states, stimulus money will take up a small part of the slack. Education departments will be faced with the same challenges other agencies are faced with. How to save as many jobs as possible. At the same time strive to deliver the highest standard of education to their students possible. It can, and will have to be done. Make no mistake, solutions will not be reached over night. There are numerous areas where money can be saved that don't impede on the classroom. Many extra curricular programs, school building projects, and 'expendable' administrative positions are just a few areas to start with. Many of the after school programs and such will be subsidized by stimulus funds allotted to and administered from a different agency. (i.e. kinder cares, city recreation centers, and social service programs will help pick up the slack with respect to programs such as student breakfasts and lunch and non intramural athletics).
The end truth is we all have to sacrifice in this period of restructuring. Does the layoff of 6000 prison staff in California register with anyone? How about thousands of newly released felons back into our neighborhoods with jobs as scarce as they are? Folks, let's take our head out of the sand. I could spend an entire day listing the amount of state jobs that will be lost in California. Education is not immune. It is indeed an important state function, but no more important than others that are suffering the same fates.
My vote is yes, education makes the 'cut'.
Miss Mya
It would be nice to be able to “treat” all state agencies fairly and the same. I mean fairness and justice is the foundation of this country, right? What happened to priority? What happened to taking care of the stuff that matters the most (to the residents of the state, the people affected by the decisions)? Without a doubt, the voters have designated education as a high priority, yet time and again the education budget is shifted, reduced, completely cut, etc. These cuts and shifts not only happen on a local and state level, but even on a national level! How was Proposition 98 implemented as a vehicle to properly guarantee funding for public education, kindergarten through community college, and now this has been blatantly ignored? Seeing as how the most recent propositions were not passed this past May shows the lack of trust and confidence in the government to adhere to the voice of the public. Prioritizing spending, budget cuts, pending legislature, etc., is how a healthy, thriving business operates. The factors that have or can have a greater impact on the greater community would seem to be the driving force of decision-making in this state. Clearly, that is not always the case. At one point, it was most important to inundate the state with as many prisons as possible. Now with budget cuts, we’re looking to release thousands of prisoners into a society where they originally weren't “fit” to live in a civilized manner. Furloughs are already in place for correctional officers and lay-offs are on the horizon. In retrospect, could education have had an impact on prisons being so overcrowded? With the proper focus, care, and commitment from the public school system could those same individuals have turned that law-breaking energy into positive, community-building activities? One can always wonder, but one may never know…
Education in California is an expensive and ineffective system. We've increased spending year-after-year, and yet our students are not doing any better. Actually, in many areas they are lagging. The idea that throwing money at the problem obviously didn't solve anything.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I'm tired of how the public has responded to "social programs" being cut. If your checkbook is low on cash, even though it would be really nice to take that extra class or spend money on some other personal improvement project; if there's no money, there's no money. Let's stop acting like a deficit doesn't cost anything. It costs money to borrow money. And like an individual who has taken out too many loans, our state has an ever falling credit rating. Do you want to imagine what will happen if this crisis gets worse AND we cannot borrow any more in an emergency?
My last comment is something I heard on conservative radio that at first upset me, and then registered a few days later. Our tax money is a way to re-distribute goods and services. Nominally the rich already pay more than the less rich (granted, you can argue whether it's proportional... but, we can agree that nominally it's more). In turn, those dollars go toward infrastructure and social welfare programs (e.g., food aid, homeless shelters, welfare, disability, education[the rich tend to send their kids to private school]) for the poor. When the rich tax pipeline begins to dry up, what are we supposed to cut? If we cut infrastructure, it makes it more difficult to live the lives we're so accustomed to (running water, realiable electricity, mostly paved roads) and get any work done. So what's left to cut?
Granted, we'd all LIKE to keep all of the programs, keep all of the jobs, and keep with the status quo. But the reality is we NEED to take a critical eye and make cuts, since we weren't willing to be fiscally responsible in the good times by saving; we're paying the price now.