Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/9051
Q&A with David A. Sanchez Continued from page 11 a plan for next steps. We are declaring April Community Outreach Month to build upon the coalitions that came together to make March 4 such a powerful day. We are stand- ing united with the state Education Coali- tion in demanding no cuts to education and demanding that lawmakers keep their promise to repay public schools the more than $11 billion they are owed under state law. But our current dilemma can’t just be solved at the Capitol alone. Change must happen at the ballot box and in our commu- nities, too. CTA workgroups are creating plans, and State Council is setting the agen- da of how we move forward this election year to pass initiatives that make sure large corporations pay their fair share and to elect candidates who will invest in public educa- tion and be held accountable. What are CTA’s goals for school funding this year? First, we have to ensure that the governor and state lawmakers keep the promises they made last year when they signed the state budget agreement that included restoring more than $11.2 billion to public education over time. Once again, the governor wants to break his promise to students. We are not going to let that happen. We also have to be realistic. California is in the middle of the largest economic recession of our time. All of our goals for funding our schools and col- leges will not be achieved this year. But we can definitely start by repealing the corpo- rate tax breaks the Legislature handed out to large corporations and oil companies last year while slashing $17 billion from our schools. And we can definitely start by elect- ing lawmakers who will stand up for public schools when the going gets tough. There’s a long way to go to make sure our schools and colleges get the funding they deserve, and CTA will not rest until we get there. That’s why it’s so important for you to help us build on the momentum by reaching out in your communities and telling your story. tant professor in the Department of Chica- no and Latino Studies at the college cam- pus, also addressed the crowd. “You do not get a return on your investment unless you put money into it. And we should not look at education as a cost, but rather as an investment.” “Public education is under attack, and we need to do something about it,” said Long Beach Community College Associa- tion President DeWayne Sheaffer. “It’s time to start taking it to the streets. We have to talk to our families, our friends and even our enemies. March 4 ends at midnight, but we must continue this fight. We mean busi- ness. Let’s make it count at the polls.” Emily Peterson, a student at Hughes Middle School in Long Beach, asked teachers at her school who had received pink slips to join her onstage. “To me, it’s sad that Long Beach is laying off such wonderful teachers,” she said. “What can you do to save my fu- ture — or should I say our future?” Tom Morello, formerly of the band Rage Against the Machine, entertained audience members on the guitar, singing “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. “The wheels of history are in your hands, brothers and sisters,” said Morello. “What we do or fail to do will determine the future of our children.” In Los Angeles, CTA President David A. Sanchez kicked off CTA’s “Start the Day for Students” by joining leaders of Unit ed Teachers Los Angeles, the California Federation of Teachers, and the American Federation of Teachers for a news conference in Los Angeles. Sanchez urged the public to support CTA’s signa- ture-gathering efforts for the Repeal Cor- porate Tax Loopholes Act, and he decried the backroom deals that had robbed schools of funding at a critical time. “Those tax breaks cost the state annu- ally just about the same amount the gov- ernor is now proposing cutting schools this year,” said Sanchez. “It’s not fair and it’s not right. In this environment every- one must pay their fair share.” Gathering signa- tures was a focus of ma ny ac t i v i t ies throughout the day, and Southern Cali- fornia hosted several major a f t e rnoon events. Huge rallies were held at UCLA and CSU Northridge. Thousands packed Pershing Square, where protesters marched to the gover- nor’s Los Angeles office to rail against his broken promises to schools. Further up the coast, afternoon pro- tests continued with a massive march down State Street in downtown Santa Bar- bara. The Santa Barbara Teachers Associ- ation led the coalition of education groups, including UCSB students who bi- cycled in from the campus north of town to protest skyrocketing fees. They joined SBTA members, who have been struggling with $17 million in cuts over the past two years and large numbers of layoffs. “Our community has been fortunate in LEFT: A huge crowd gathers for the March 4 rally at Wilson High School in Long Beach. ABOVE: Students join in the protest for equal access to affordable education. 12 California Educator | MARCH 2010 that we’ve had outstanding schools and ed- ucators, and we’ve been able to see our stu- dents really achieve,” Santa Barbara Teach- ers Association President Layne Wheeler told the crowd. “But we just won’t be able to continue giving them the education they deserve when faced with cuts like this. San- ta Barbara schools have already been hit too hard. It has to stop.” Marchers chanted their support: “They say cut back, we say fight back!” SHERRY POSNICK-GOODWIN AND FRANK WELLS Photos by Scott Buschman