A budget should reflect the values and priorities of our nation and its people.” – Mary Landrieu In California State Superintendent of Education candidate Marshall Tuck’s TV advertisement, he points out that California is 44th in achieving education results. What he leaves unsaid is that this performance parallels our state’s lack of funding for our […]
BREAKING: American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles, Resubmits Stuart Magruder Appointment to LAUSD Bond Oversight Committee
This press release was issued by the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles chapter just now. It calls for the re-appointment of Stuart Magruder to a second term on the Bond Oversight Committee that has been providing professional feedback on Los Angeles Unified use of bond funds for school facilities. AIA-LA Statement, LAUSD Citizens Oversight […]
Apple Sells iPads to LAUSD — Something Does Not Compute
I’m writing this on my MacBook Pro, and I really appreciate that irony and privilege. But it doesn’t change what I’m about to say. When the Los Angeles Unified School District’s School Board decided at its mid-June 2013 meeting to purchase iPads for every child in the district, I was aghast. It wasn’t only the […]
The November 2012 Save California Public Schools Toolkit
Step 1: Get informed. We’re on the verge of either saving our public schools from an annual cycle of disinvestment caused by budget cuts ($20 billion in the past 5 years) — or setting off harmful triggers if the November 2012 ballot initiatives to fund K-12 (or K-14) don’t pass. Proposition 30 and Proposition 38 […]
California Secretary of State's Official Titles and Summaries of Proposition 30 and Proposition 38
These are reproduced from pdfs found on the California Secretary of State’s website and are the official titles and summaries of Propositions 30 and 38. Proposition 30: Temporary Taxes to Fund Education. Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. CA Proposition 30: TEMPORARY TAXES TO FUND EDUCATION. GUARANTEED LOCAL PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING. INITIATIVE CO… […]
California Budget Project's Analysis of Propositions 30 and 38, For November 2012
California Budget Project‘s Senior Policy Analyst and specialist in education issues, Jonathan Kaplan, recently released Budget Briefs analyzing the potential impact of two ballot initiatives in California that propose to fund K-12 education. This November, voters will decide if they want to vote for one, both, or none, and in order to do so, they’ll […]
Special Podcast: Weighted Pupil Funding & California's Budget Process, 2012 — Call to Action
I just spoke with two impassioned and well-informed high school student leaders and a community coordinator at Californians for Justice about an emergency action to support public schools that they’re conducting in the next 18 hours, ending Friday, June 15, 2012. You can listen to the podcast here: Listen to internet radio with MOMocrats on […]
CA School Finance 101 Wrap-Up
Highlights from the CA School Finance 101 workshop — a wrap-up that flags some of the most discussed issues by those in attendance. Over 70 school administrators, parents, school board members, and candidates for school board/Assembly/State Senate participated.
Frazzled Moms–Frazzled Because of School Budget Cuts?
“…As local and state economies continue to struggle, budget cuts to rich and poor school systems are increasing the reliance on unpaid parent help.”