ED CO MEMO January 29, 2009
Contact: Robin Swanson (916) 204-6890
PPIC Poll shows that Californians would “most like to protect K-12 public education from cuts,” while the Governor and state lawmakers consider slashing billions more from California’s students
According to results released today from the PPIC Statewide Survey: “Most Californians (60%) say that of the four major areas of state spending, they would most like to protect K-12 public education from cuts.”
This comes at a time when Governor Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers are considering some of the most drastic cuts ever proposed to public education in California, and our state ranks 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending. In addition, the Governor has proposed an unlawful manipulation of Prop. 98, the voter-approved minimum school funding guarantee, that would shortchange students by an additional $7 billion year after year.
Of the $10.8 billion in additional Prop. 98 cuts proposed by the Governor, $9.7 billion will be cut from K-12
public schools. These cuts are the equivalent of:
• Shutting down every school across the state for 34 days.
• Increasing class sizes statewide by over 50%.
• Reducing per-student spending by more than $1,600.
• Laying off 240,000 bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, maintenance workers, and other education support professionals.
• Laying off 140,000 teachers.
• Cutting more than $41,000 per classroom.
• Cutting more than $16.4 million per school district (assuming 10,000 students in the school).
• Eliminating all music, art, sports and career technical education programs statewide, with room to make further cuts to other programs.
The PPIC poll also concludes that “more Californians say they would rather pay higher taxes and have a state government that provides more services than pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services.”
It’s time that our state’s elected leaders recognize what hard-working Californians clearly already know: these devastating cuts to public education are undermining our state’s future. The Governor and lawmakers have a responsibility to raise the revenues necessary to provide all students with the quality education they deserve.
The Education Coalition represents more than 2.5 million teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, school employees and other education advocates in California. For more information, please visit our web site at www.protectourstudents.org.
More on the PPIC/Public Policy Institute of California Survey:
Public Mood on Budget Demands Statewide Reform
Bay Area Indymedia, CA
by Randy Shaw via Beyond Chron Friday, January 30, 2009 : Because Governor Schwarzenegger is impotent at brokering a budget, the state will be out of money ...AM Alert: Green fees of a different sort
Sacramento Bee, USAThe noon discussion will feature Mark Baldassare, the PPIC president; Craig Cornett, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's budget director; ...
Public Mood on Budget Demands Statewide Reform
Beyond Chron, CA
Liberal bloggers were ecstatic yesterday to report that a new PPIC poll shows a majority of Californians would abolish the two-thirds requirement to pass a ...Low rating? Why worry?
Santa Maria Times, CA
We are not at all surprised by the overall approval rating for the California Legislature, which according to the PPIC poll has dropped to 21 percent. ...PPIC Poll: Californians Want Change
PolitickerCA, CA - Jan 29, 2009
By Brian Leubitz, Calitics In a poll released yesterday, PPIC shows some major movement. Californians are looking for an end to the budget impasse, ...PPIC Survey Shows For First Time Majority Favor Reduction of Two ...
California Progress Report, CA - Jan 29, 2009
While those numbers do not overwhelm one, they do mark the first time in PPIC polling that a majority favors that change. My sense though would be that one ...AM Alert: Courtroom dramas
The Sacramento Bee's Capital Alert, CA - Jan 29, 2009
Dan Walters breaks down the approval numbers for Schwarzenegger (low) and President Barack Obama (high). Find the full results on Capitol Alert's PPIC page. ...Poll shows voters fed up with Sacramento, want reform
San Jose Mercury News, USA - Jan 29, 2009
And as recently as May, only 39 percent of respondents told the PPIC they supported scrapping the two-thirds rule. "That is a very significant shift in ...Support wanes for budget supermajority
Sacramento Bee, USA - Jan 29, 2009
The PPIC Statewide Survey taken in mid-January finds for the first time that a majority – 54 percent of Californians – believe that it is a "good idea" to ...Californians give thumbs-up to Obama, thumbs down to state officials
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jan 28, 2009
"People feel things have gotten way out of hand," said PPIC survey director Mark Baldassare. "We are back to the same problems we had in 2003. ...
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