PTA ADVOCATES FINANCE REFORM

PRESS RELEASE February 23, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Carol Kocivar Vice President, Communications (415) 577-1125 Alison apRoberts Communications Manager (916) 440-1985, ext. 106 California State PTA

SACRAMENTO -- PTA leaders today met with legislators to let them know the new state budget fails to meet the needs of children. 

"Cutting billions of dollars from education and children's services may balance a budget but it does not even remotely meet the responsibility of California to educate and care for children," said Pam Brady, president of the California State PTA.

More than 100 PTA leaders, gathered in Sacramento for their annual legislative conference, met with legislators and invited them into the schools throughout California to see how the new budget hurts children.

"The PTA believes the smartest economic recovery plan is to invest in children," Brady said.

Announcing the first step in a campaign to fix the economic gridlock, the PTA calls for:

• Removal of the 2/3 majority vote of the legislature to pass a budget;
• Lowering the threshold to pass local parcel taxes to a supermajority of 55 percent; and
• Restructuring California's school finance system.

"No one should be proud of a budget that drops funding for schools to dead last in the nation," Brady said.

"All children should have arts, small class sizes, counselors, nurses, librarians, and yes - textbooks - and this budget forces communities to fight over crumbs," Brady said.

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everychild.onevoice.

The California State PTA has nearly 1 million members throughout the state working on behalf of public schools, children and families, with the motto, "Every child, one voice." The PTA is the nation's oldest, largest and highest profile volunteer organization working to improve the education, health and welfare of all children and youth. The PTA also advocates at national, state and local levels for education and family issues. The PTA is nonprofit, nonsectarian and noncommercial.
For more information about the California State PTA, visit www.capta.org.