The following are a series of Legislation Information Alerts sent out by the California State PTA. To receive these and other Legislation Information Alerts, please send your name and e-mail address to leginfo@capta.org.

State Budget Slashes Summer Schools

Today members of the Education Coalition, including Cynthia Clark, Principal of McClatchy High School; David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools; Paul H. Chatman, President of the California School Boards Association; Dana Dillon of the California Teachers Association; Pat Dingsdale of the California State PTA; and Dean Murakami, President Los Rios College Federation of Teachers-AFT Local 2279 joined State Superintendent Jack O’Connell for a press conference to detail the devastating impact of budget cuts on summer school programs.

According to the California Department of Education, many school districts are cutting remediation summer classes, as well as enrichment and achievement programs. At Sacramento’s McClatchy High School, where the press conference was held, there are 200 fewer students enrolled this year in summer school programs compared to last year.

“The elimination of summer school courses threatens to significantly affect students already behind in their schoolwork because they will miss out on the chance to catch up on their peers over the summer break,” O’Connell said. “Some districts that offer summertime intervention programs for English learners cannot afford to keep their classrooms open. Even schools that are just scaling back what they offer will begin offering classes only to students who need to complete courses in order to graduate. This means that students looking to get ahead or improve their grade point average will not be able to do so.”

To learn more, please visit: www.protectourstudents.org.

Pat Dingsdale (California State PTA) joins State Superintendent Jack O’Connell in Sacramento to talk about the impact of budget cuts on summer school programs.

Education Coalition Launches Statewide Radio Ad Campaign

Sacramento – Today the Education Coalition released a statewide radio ad campaign to urge the Governor and lawmakers to invest in education and to find common-sense budget solutions that increase revenues. Transcripts of the ads are below, and audio versions can be found on the web site at www.protectourstudents.org. “The Education Coalition wants our elected leaders to know that the time has come to put aside partisan politics and to invest in our children’s future,” said David A. Sanchez, President of the California Teachers Association. “Delaying and cutting school funding through the state budget process only hurts our students.” “Our state leaders need to put our students’ education at the top of their agenda, and pass a responsible budget that rejects cuts to schools,” said Pam Brady, President of the California State PTA. “We need to give students the tools and resources they need to succeed. The time to act is now.” “Schools are already suffering from the impact of cuts and delayed funding,” said Paul H. Chatman, President of the California School Boards Association. “It’s time to move forward and invest in our kids. California business leaders say the best way to improve our economy is to make sure we have a well-educated work force – let’s work together to achieve that goal.”

http://www.protectourstudents.org/education-coalition-launched-statewide-radio-ad-campaign/