CampaignSOS Button tells the story

Community TV broadcasts forum on Props. 74, 75, 76

Bavarian Bully attempts to have his cake and eat it, too
— and other names for Schwarzenegger propositions

You have read a great deal already regarding the special election, especially the three propositions that would negatively impact our public schools. Let's rename the offending measures to drive home what each one represents.

Proposition 74 shall become "Teachers sentenced to five years of probation." How could this be a good idea? The two-year probation period currently in effect is ample to determine a teacher's skill before granting them job security. As a matter of fact, my administrator friends say they can spot a bad teacher in 10 minutes. Moreover, job security is not a life long employment guarantee. It is the promise of due process in any future firing decision.

Bad teachers are terminated in California, but not indiscriminately at the whim of a single administrator. The system in place today is one that attempts to help teachers develop awareness of any deficiency and become more skillful. It assumes that those who have put themselves through extensive preparation programs in college should not be booted out of the profession without a fair chance to succeed. If the teacher fails to improve with assistance, he or she is let go.

Proposition 75 shall be renamed "The Bavarian Bully attempts to have his cake and eat it, too." Yes, the claim of bullying is especially poignant these days. While schools are trying to eliminate playground bullying, along comes the biggest bully of them all, our governor who wants to strong-arm unions into silence on the political scene.

Why do teachers call this a power grab? Because corporations — the big guys — already outspend unions 20 to 1 in political campaigns. Those big-time spenders have the power of the buck. Should the power of working people be further reduced by new regulations?

This is not paycheck protection, folks. It is power protecting itself. Prop. 75 doesn't just threaten teachers' voices in politics. It also impacts firefighters, nurses, police, and other union members. These are your public servants, not villains.

Proposition 76 shall be dubbed "Putting your finger in the dike." Like the story of the little Dutch boy, Prop. 76 looms over us like a crack in the dike. It threatens our public schools with probable funding cuts at the whim of our governor. It eliminates the minimum public school funding guaranteed by voter-approved Prop. 98. In fact a resounding defeat is absolutely required on this measure in order to prevent significant damage to our schools.

Yes, with our vote let's put our fingers in the dike to prevent the inundation of mediocrity that Prop. 76 would rain upon our public schools. But let's not stop there. We need to take a serious look at whether our schools can thrive with the current funding levels. In terms of per-pupil spending, our schools are woefully under-funded compared to the rest of the country. Let's tackle this debacle after defeating these three destructive propositions.

Schwarzenegger's propositions are focus of public forum

APTOS — A coalition of Santa Cruz County educators held a public forum on the future of public education and this year's ballot initiatives in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Aptos High School cafeteria. The forum will be broadcast on Santa Cruz County Community TV; Comcast channel 25 and Charter channel 71 at 7:00 PM on Nov. 7 and 1:00 PM on Nov. 8 special election.

Community Television producer Kim Clark focuses her camera on the panel of educators at the public forum.

Assembly Budget Committee Chairman John Laird was the forum's key note speaker. The group discussed a summary of the propositions that threaten public schools, Schwarzenegger's broken promise to education, the ongoing 27-year crisis in education funding, and the importance of voting in the November 8. Several members of the public joined in the discussion.

CampaignSOS, led by Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Sandra Nichols, includes a student member, superintendents, school board members, and leaders of teacher and classified worker organizations. The coalition was formed in January as a response to the governor's State of the State adddress which brought hightened awareness of his threats to public education. The group has met with state legislators and local media to raise public awareness of the need to increase funding for California public schools.

Santa Cruz County Coalition meets with Assembly Member Simon Salinas

CampaignSOS meets with Budget Committee Chairman