How unfortunate it is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to cut funding for education across the State of California. A little known fact California ranks second to last in funding average daily attendance (ADA).
Governor Schwarzenegger states in a recent communication that: “California is blessed with one of the world”s most dynamic and diverse economies but when it comes to state budget process, we are highly dysfunctional.”
I agree, but education should not be the target of budget balancing. There is far too much waste in California, and much of it I attribute to unstable spending habits in California. I attribute our current financial woes on unions representing the certified and classified employees of school districts in California.
Twice, Governor Schwarzenegger has tried to impose, again a written quote: “A permanent stability, predictability, and discipline on the budget process.” Twice, he has been defeated largely by immense spending on part of the unions representing the employees of California school districts.
Having stated this, I still find the spending cuts affecting education abhorrently wrong. There are solutions ? there always are ? to any entity seeking restructuring. A business has the option of cutting funding or closing. An education system, particularly one so under-funded as is presently in California, does not have the luxury of a funding cut as a solution.
Not only does the system lose far too much valued certified teaching and/or management assets or classified (custodian and transportation) assets forever, it affects an already under-funded educational system badly by taking from it what it may never recuperate. Many of these certified and classified personnel will never return to the education field of endeavor.
California public instruction is already abysmally bad; our public school system ranking in the country is already second to last, and these cuts would make it worse.
If, as Governor Schwarzenegger states, “California possesses one of the world”s most dynamic and diverse economies,” it cannot cut funding to education. California should lessen government spending in other areas.
There is massive bloat in the bureaucracy in the State of California ? everyone knows this ? but no one demands that this arena be cut. There is massive waste in the spending habits of our legislative bodies, and again, no one demands that this be addressed.
I say to Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O”Connell, teachers, administrators, and all elected officials to demand increased funding to public school system of California and cut elsewhere because punishing the children of this so-called dynamic and diverse state is terribly wrong.
No matter the reason, severing our education funding is criminal and incredibly short-sighted. Governor Schwarzenegger, find your balanced budget elsewhere other than on the backs of the young people of California who depend on public instruction to give them an education.
Sherman D. Baker III
Kelseyville
