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Azusa Pacific University SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Victoria Velasquez ���89, M.A. ���09 Principal, Victor Hodge Elementary Azusa Unified School District RTA members attend a school board meeting. Below: Andres Martin holds a sign reading ���Your children deserve the best!��� Photos by Michael Stone. Ramona teachers face huge salary cuts BY MIKE MYSLINSKI Teachers in Ramona Uniied School District, San Diego County, are outraged that school oicials seek the equivalent of 27 percent in salary or beneit cuts over three years, despite having ive times more in budget reserves than recommended by the state. Proposals for slashing health benefits and due process rights for educators and increasing class sizes prompted educators and parents to pack a Jan. 17 school board meeting. RTA won���t back down from opposing the district���s onerous ���last, best and final��� contract proposals. ���Let me be clear. We find the district���s proposals to be absolutely unacceptable,��� said Donna Braye-Romero, president of the 260-member Ramona Teachers Association (RTA). And insulting, she added, because the harsh cuts appear to be rooted in poor financing mistakes made by the district several years ago. ���Even though Ramona teachers bear no responsibility for the unwise expenditure for two new school sites several years ago, your proposals seek to rectify that fiscal mistake by breaking the backs of teachers financially ��� putting the entire burden on them. RTA has offered reasonable cuts in order to share the sacrifice, but how can it be fair to expect teachers to carry the entire load?��� ���Instead of working against teachers, we urge you to work with us,��� she added. ���Let���s agree on a contract that includes shared sacrifice in the short term. Let���s be a team that includes the entire Ramona education community, to unite around fixing an unfortunate past error and then move forward to a brighter future for our students and our town.��� Earn your degree from a university known for excellence in education. Azusa Pacific has a reputation for consistently producing innovative and comprehensively prepared educators. Our graduates serve as teachers, counselors, coaches, librarians, and administrators throughout Southern California, and are known in their schools and districts as leaders in their field. Choose from more than 60 credential and degree options at APU, including a bachelor���s degree completion program in liberal studies, and join a 113-year legacy of excellence in education. Programs start throughout the year. Contact us today! www.apu.edu/explore/education (626) 815-4570 13947 AZUSA | HIGH DESERT | INLAND EMPIRE | LOS ANGELES | MURRIETA ORANGE COUNTY | SAN DIEGO | VENTURA COUNTY | ONLINE February 2013 www.cta.org 39