Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/25821
¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! B Y C TA P R ESIDEN T D A VID A. S ANCHEZ proposed short-term solutions that can help stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, CTA is taking the lead by promoting tax fairness and aware- ness in order to identify stable funding sourc- es that benefit both our state and our schools. First, let’s look at the short term. CTA is working with lawmakers to support A Gov. Brown’s proposed state budget plan, which combines $12.5 billion in budget cuts with a five-year extension of four temporary taxes to stop even deeper cuts to public educa- tion and other services. CTA is working with the Education Coalition and labor partners to support the budget plan and the revenue extensions. Gov. Brown has called for a special election in June. According to the state’s legislative analyst, if the temporary taxes are not extended, K-12 schools could face additional cuts of $4.6 bil- lion; community colleges, $685 million; uni- versities, $1.1 billion. That means larger class sizes, no bus transportation, elimination of sports, higher fees for students attending our colleges and universities, and fewer grants for colleges. We’ve been down this road before, and it’s hard to imagine things getting worse for our students and our profession. But with- out extending temporary revenues, they will. It’s clear that without permanent solutions, California will continue to run deficits for years to come. We commend the governor for taking a bal- anced approach to solving the state’s staggering budget deficit, and we believe that extending current revenues is critical to maintaining a quality public education system in this state. He needs our help to make sure lawmakers support the budget and support putting the tax extensions on a June 2011 ballot. I’m asking each of you go to the CTA website to e-mail your legislators and ask them to support the governor’s balanced budget proposal, which includes extending temporary taxes. Taking a long-term approach, we’re start- ing to educate ourselves on where we are and how we can work our way to a brighter future. CTA has launched a new section on our web- site about tax fairness that can be found at cta.org/taxfairness. This site will be continu- ¿Por Qué No? ¡Sí Se Puede! [Yes we can! Why not?], words inspired by César Chávez, encourage us to remember that, together, we can achieve great things. 4 California Educator | FEBRUARY 2011 s educators hold their breath over who will receive pink slips, we know that school funding has been in crisis far too long. Governor Jerry Brown has ously updated with the latest research, and is already filled with resources you can use to educate yourself and others about California’s tax structure. The information will amaze you. Did you know that between 1947 and 1979, incomes for the bottom 20 percent of the nation were rising faster than those for the top 5 percent? In contrast, between 1979 and 2008, the bot- tom 20 percent saw a decrease in their real in- come while the top 5 percent saw a 73 percent increase. Still, the top 1 percent pay just 7.8 percent of their income in taxes while the bottom 20 percent pay 11.1 percent of their income in taxes. There is a growing divide between the haves and have-nots. It’s not fair and it’s crippling our state. It doesn’t have to be this way. California has grown to be the eighth-larg- est economy in the world, but in recent years has ignored its own foundations in quality education, and now ranks 43rd in the nation in per-pupil spending. It’s appalling that we, as a state, are not doing better for our children. Making sure our students get the resources they need is not go- ing to be easy, but educators in this state have a long, proud history of fighting the tough fight, and we won’t back down in the face of an ailing economy. You can help by asking your lawmakers to support the governor’s budget proposal. Visit cta.org/taxfairness to learn more about why California’s tax structure is broken. Then join me in talking to others about what is happen- ing in our schools, and why we need better and more stable revenue streams for educa- tion. Together, we can make it better. While we work together on funding for our state, we must also be ever vigilant about the attacks happening to our colleagues in Wisconsin and across the country. Our union and profession are under attack like never before and we must stand up to pro- tect our rights and to protect all working families. Their fight is our fight. Their rights are our rights. EDITOR IN CHIEF Malaika Costello-Dougherty STAFF WRITER Sherry Posnick-Goodwin CTA WEB EDITOR Karyn Ferrera Donhoff CTA WEB EDITOR Tiffany Hasker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Craig Hamilton CTA ELECTED OFFICERS PRESIDENT David A. Sanchez VICE PRESIDENT Dean E. Vogel SECRETARY-TREASURER Gail M. Mendes BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Allen, E. Toby Boyd, Donald L. Bridge, Tyrone V. Cabell, Mikki Cichocki, Elana Davidson, Don Dawson, Dana Dillon, David Goldberg, Jim Groth, Eric C. Heins, Marty G. Meeden, George Melendez, Theresa Montaño, Mary Rose Ortega, Cynthia Peña, Jim Rogers, Bonnie Shatun, Marc Sternberger, Michael Stone, Curtis Washington EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Carolyn Doggett ASSOCIATE EXEC. DIRECTOR Rebecca Zoglman COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jonathan Goldman CONTRIBUTORS Scott Buschman, Dave Crosland, Len Feldman, Bill Guy, Mike Myslinski, Kamran Nasser, Kristina Rizga, Frank Wells EDITORIAL INFORMATION California Educator is published for the information and edification of its members. The editorial philoso- phy is governed by the policies of CTA. Articles and advertising reflect that philosophy. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@cta.org. 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