California Educator

MARCH 2010

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messed up — not just for me, but for the children who need education if they are going to succeed in the future. And we are the future.” The guest speaker, CTA President Da- vid A. Sanchez, took the stage and an- nounced that it is time to hold those who are cutting education responsible for what’s happening. “They are cutting classes and they are cutting teachers.” More than 2,000 attended the afternoon rally at Wilson High, including teachers, college professors, students, parents and community members. Many had attended a protest earlier that day across the street at CSU Long Beach. Latecomers to the Wil- son High rally were turned away in accor- dance with Fire Code regulations, and end- ed up protesting outside the building. Those inside the gym joined Sanchez in shouting, “No cuts! No compromises!” Sanchez asked the crowd to join CTA in supporting an initiative to repeal tax breaks for large corporations. Signatures must be gathered before it can be put on the ballot. “We can’t cut funds to schools and give tax breaks to large corporations, because that is wrong,” said Sanchez. “The govern- ment is making secret deals with these large BELOW: CTA Long Beach City College President DeWayne Sheaffer gets the crowd going in Long Beach. corporations and giving them tax breaks. Join us to repeal them. We must talk to the public every chance we get — in grocery stores, movie theaters, everywhere. We must tell them what’s happening to our schools and what’s happening to our students. We must tell them enough is enough.” In Long Beach Unified, more than 700 teachers were issued pink slips, including Mandi Reger, a teacher at Stevenson Ele- mentary School for 11 years, who attended the rally. “It’s going to hurt the students more than anything,” she said. “Everything we’ve worked for in the last decade to improve student achievement will be taken away by cuts and large class sizes. There will be a big education gap between these kids and the next generation.” “Lawmakers hold schools accountable for student results, but accountability is a two-way street,” said Michael Day, presi- dent of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB). “It’s time to protect educa- tion funding, and it’s time to protect our kids. If we don’t stop now, we’ll fail an en- tire generation.” Teri Yamada, president of the CSU Long Beach California Faculty Association chap- ter, told the crowd the campus was forced to reduce student enrollment because employ- ees are taking unpaid furlough days and classes have been cut. José F. Moreno, assis- The California Educator sits down with CTA President David A. Sanchez to talk about why March 4 was so important and what’s next. EDUCATOR: Why was March 4 important for public education? DAVID A. SANCHEZ: On March 4, entire communities stood together and said no to any more budget cuts to public schools, community colleges, uni- versities and the essential public services we all need. It wasn’t the first step, but it definitely was a resounding recommitment to take our com- munities back, to fight for our neighborhood schools and the future of our students and our state. I was re-energized by standing alongside such a vast coalition of supporters. So, where do we go from here? We build on the momentum. Each of us must be an ambassador for our public schools and colleges. We must use every outlet we have to let the public know what cuts are doing to schools, communities and our future. Talk to parents, friends, family and community mem- bers — to anyone who will listen. Post to your Facebook page or Twitter account. Talk to your local media. We must keep the conversation alive and be proactive in changing the way California funds public education. We must also continue to work with each other and with broader coalitions. How is CTA leadership maintaining the momentum? The CTA Board of Directors and State Council of Education have already begun implementing Continued on page 12 MARCH 2010 | www.cta.org 11 Q&A with CTA President David A. Sanchez Photos by Scott Buschman

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