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LBReport.com |
Teachers Union + LBUSD Sup't + Local Officials Announce "Unite For Education -- Long Beach" Coalition To "Protect Our Local Schools From Further Cuts" Thru "Broad-Based Community Effort"
(March 15, 2009) -- LBReport.com provides extended audio coverage of the press event announcing formation of "Unite For Education -- Long Beach," a coalition of LB education officials, unions representing education-related employees, elected officials and educational stakeholders formed to oppose further education budget cuts and support funding for LB K-12 schools, community college and CSU.
The March 13 event was held in ELB's Hill Middle School auditorium. LBReport.com's extended audio coverage is presented exactly as it took place. The 33 1/2 minute audio (22 MB in the MP3 format) is a large file and on some computers may require a minute or so to download, even with a high speed connection.
Attendees (speakers and audience members) wore pink to coincide with "pink slip Friday" -- the statewide date on which teachers are notified of possible layoffs (thus far affecting districts other than LBUSD).
The event was conducted by (podium speaker who introduced other speakers) Mike Day, President of the Teachers Ass'n of LB.
In his opening statement, Mr. Day said:
As our economy suffers and takes its toll on its schools...we unite here today for education, to continue the success of our schools by finding new ways for our community to work together. We look to our local leaders and to ourselves for answers to the question: How do we continue our progress in ensuring every student a quality public education even in the midst of a crushing budget crisis?
Other quotes of note:
Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D., Carson-LB): "...Maybe I should bring some red ketchup and put it on my hands and raise them very dramatically and say that I have blood on my hands, because of being a member of the California Assembly and dealing with this Draconian budget problems that we had, I had to press what's called the green button to make these cuts...I did not work this hard to go to Sacramento to represent your community and other communities to cut education...Yes, we're taking a big step backward, but we can do that if we know we can take two steps forward in the future."
Mayor Bob Foster: "...[Y]ou can put public safety and education side by side. They really sometimes are mirror images of each other...If we do not educate our young people, does anybody here doubt that those costs are going to come back three and four and five fold in terms of incarceration, law enforcement, in terms of public safety, in terms of our safety net? [applause]...We ought to keep that in mind as we assess our priorities in Sacramento, because it is much cheaper to invest in education today than it is to invest in public safety and incarceration down in the future. It's just that simple. It's a simple equation: spend the money now, spend a lot less money now, invest in our future, invest in our children, and we'll have a better society and a better economy in the future..."
Diana Craighead, LB PTA President: "...As a parent, I see that we are continually being asked to fill in the gap created by this financial shortage. We are being asked to pay for everything from classroom supplies to instructor salaries...It's unfair to burden families who feel pressure to provide what should be standard for public education..."
LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser: "...Enough is enough...We will potentially have cut, when it's all said and done, up to $150 million in five years...[Speaking of "Unite For Education -- Long Beach"] This is just the beginning. This is not going to stop...We're going to have to get back to saving our schools at the local level. We're blessed to have an administration now in Washington that sees education as the key to this economic issue that we're in..."
Speakers at the event are listed below in the order in which they appeared. Also included is the starting-time of their audio (allowing readers to scroll/jump to their presentation).
| Speaker | Audio run time | |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Day, President Teachers Ass'n of LB | 0:00-2:52 | |
| Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D., Carson-LB) | 2:58-6:44 | |
| LB Mayor Bob Foster | 7:08-10:20 | |
| Diana Craighead, LB PTA President | 10:43-13:06 | |
| F. King Alexander, CSULB President | 13:24-17:55 | |
| Terry Yamada, President, LB State University Faculty Ass'n | 18:16-21:14 | |
| Eloy Oakley, President LBCC | 21:34-23:17 | |
| De Wayne Shaeffer, President, LB City College Community College Ass'n | 23:35-26:06 | |
| Mary Brown, President, LB California School Employees Ass'n | 26:26-29:44 | |
| LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser | 30:05-32:55 |
Among other public figures we spotted in the audience: LBUSD Board President Jon Meyer and LB Community College Board of Trustees VP Mark Bowen.
So...exactly what does this new group want from Sacramento? Speakers didn't say...so we asked TALB President Mike Day that question after the event. He told us the local coalition was formed to brainstorm ideas...and there's no agreement yet on what to do except make education a funding priority.
We pressed further: how did you get prominent people to sign on unless there's some kind of agreement on what should be done? Mr. Day said there's no agreement yet on what to do except to make education a funding priority. "We still have to come up with ways to do it. I'm confident the group can come up with ways to do that," he told us.
Below is the text of a flier distributed at the event:
Cuts to Education
- The recently signed state budget includes education cuts unlike we have seen in our state's history.
- K-12 cuts total at least 8.5 billion (last year K-12 was cut by an additional 3.5 billion). Community College cuts total $286 million. CSU cuts are 10% across the board.
- Before this last round of cuts we were 47th in the nation in K-12 school funding. More cuts may be on the way -- the Legislative Analyst today [March 13] said budget just signed is already 8 billion short.
What is United for Education -- Long Beach?
- These new cuts to school will scar an entire generation of children and young adults.
- We need to work together and organize to increase support for schools. The cuts must stop here. If they continue the success of our local schools will be threatened. We need to advocate to be sure that:
- Long Beach K-12 schools, community college, and CSU are adequately funded.
- Students get a well-rounded education that includes programs like art, music, technology, and career technical education
- Students continue to have access to up-to-date textbooks, libraries, and clean, safe schools
- Schools shoudl continue to have school nurses, counselors, and libraries.
- Students have small class sizes so teachers can give them the attention they need.
- All students have a right to an affordable college education.
- If enough of us Stand Up for Schools, we can make a real difference for our students.
Next steps for Unite for Education:
- Convene working group.
- Encourage broad based participation.
- Consensus approach on strategy and next steps.
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