When students at Westview, my high school, learned of the extent of the budget cuts in our district, we were outraged. Poway Unified alone may be forced to cut $15.5 million. At Westview, that could potentially mean 41 teachers will lose their jobs, more than 2,000 current students will lose valuable extracurricular programs and counseling services and an immeasurable number of future Westview Wolverines will lose a chance to develop their potential.
As students, and as American citizens with a basic right to a comprehensive education, we decided to fight. A small group of seniors, myself included, founded an organization called "12K for K-12" and on March 29, staged a rally and 12-kilometer march of roughly 600 students to protest the cuts. That was just the beginning.
The fact is, this battle belongs not to the teachers or parents of California, but to the students. This is about our education, our potential, our future. The stand we take today is twofold;: not only are we fighting against the budget cuts, but we are proving to Sacramento and the nation that we, as teenagers, do care. The legislators see us as numbers and abstracts, data thrown around in meetings that can’t even begin to describe the actuality of these cuts, the actuality that we -- here at Westview and in PUSD -- are finally starting to realize, the actuality that our representatives in Sacramento can’t see.
We must make them realize that their decisions impact real people who, despite their age, are still citizens with rights that cannot be violated and voices that cannot be dismissed.
When numerous budget analysts and legislators have tried and failed to come up with a magic solution to the budget crisis, it would be foolish of me to think I can produce a realistic answer -- or to even believe that one exists. But I can say this: we, as Californians, must prioritize. As a teacher of mine said, pupils have to be worth more than prisons and potholes. In our culture, we are quick to call for reform, but rarely willing to make the sacrifices necessary. That is no longer an option.
When you take a step back and look at the issue, we students aren’t asking for much. We are fighting for something that no person in the United States should have to fight for: the basic right to an education. A basic education is more than reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s more than 45 students jammed in a classroom. It’s more than 46th out of 50 in the nation. Or, if the cuts go through, it’s more than 49th out of 50.
Without the teachers who inspired me year after year, I would never have had the drive to continue writing. Without the opportunities of the theatre and journalism programs, I would never have been able to apply my passions in a practical sense. Without the encouragement and discipline of Westview staff, I would never have been able to succeed. And, more importantly, without the knowledge that I’d be given second chances, I would never have been able to fail in a safe environment.
I am not fighting this battle for me or for my friends, for the benefit of my school, my district or my community. I don’t say this for the here and the now. I am speaking to you for those who can't yet speak for themselves, for those who will lose their voices to the greedy claws of budget cuts, to those future students of California and for their right to the same quality education I had.
California’s education system already spends less per student than the national average. When it comes to funding, our report card is a solid D+, according to Education Week Magazine. The students and teachers of California did not get us into this budget crisis. It is simply bad policy use those without a voice (or vote) as scapegoats. By cutting from education, we are negatively affecting every California resident, every state program and every department.
We must not abandon ship and resign ourselves to this devastating solution. We cannot give up until we find another solution.
Allison Finn is a senior at Westview High School and editor in chief of the school's newspaper The Nexus. Send your perspective to share with our readers.
Comments so far on this story:
1. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 20, 2008 8:10 PM:
"The latest Census report April 1 shows we are 28th in spending (2006 figures) and the national Report Card by the US Dept. of Education shows our students are 48th in math and reading. There is a disagreement between the NEA union figures as to teacher pay -- their website shows we are number 2, but their latest bulletin shows we are number 1. Number 1 (or 2) in teacher salary, and number 48 in student testing is a huge "delta." (We rank one point higher than Mississippi, and two points higher than Louisiana!) We would be money and academics ahead to fire all the teachers and hire all new ones from Alabama, or Vest Virginia, or Arkansas – all of whom we need pay less, and each state has higher academics!"
2. CMR wrote on April 20, 2008 8:11 PM:
"Teachers in the poway federated teachers association voted 56 to 44% NOT to accept a 2% pay cut that would have meant NO layoffs. Case closed."
3. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 20, 2008 8:21 PM:
"Allison, it would be advisable to actually offer a solution -- here is mine. In May, each family will receive a tax rebate of $1,200 from the federal government -- money that no one expected. If every student's parents, and every teacher simply endorsed this "windfall" over to their school, that would hire a LOT of teachers. It is unlikely that any teachers will actually be laid off anyway, but those checks will absolutely re-hire EVERY one of those threatened. Be a leader, and get your fellow teachers and students to solve the problem. If you should fail, it will be a lesson in reality."
4. jad wrote on April 20, 2008 9:26 PM:
"I applaud Allison for a passionate, sincere column. However, I do not believe that the budget cut will have any significant impact on the quality of education. What it will do, and has already done, is rally the powerful teacher's union. In times of cutbacks, every entity will defend its interests vigorously in a zero-sum game. Understood and accepted. The sheer size of the California education system should argue for less spending per pupil, as vast economies of scale come into play. Fun With Statistics might make for an interesting extra credit course, but serves no purpose when faced with the reality of massive deficits."
5. Billy Bob Henry wrote on April 20, 2008 10:55 PM:
"Actually CA is ranked 27th in per student spending and is ranked #1 in teacher compensation, currently averaging $70 an hour. In addition to the excellent hourly wage, there 100% JOB SECURITY. Never have 41 teachers been laid off in any school in San Diego (or CA) at one time- ever. So the notion that Westview, or any other school, would lose 41 teachers is pure nonsense. CA currently has 52%-60% of general fund revenue dedicated to education (prop. 98), this is NOT counting the BILLIONS in real property bonds that every school district asks voters for on an annual basis, and usually receives. So if Poway/Westview or any other school wants to prevent laying off teachers they should just renegotiate their contracts and take a small cut in pay, but that will not happen because public employees are not in this for the kids- just for themselves."
6. Gene wrote on April 21, 2008 6:24 AM:
"My daughter is a teacher in Sd Unified.She was given her pink slip. they other day, she and two other teache3rs went to their appeal before the board to request their jobs back. needless to sayu it is a knagaroo court. The biggest thing that stood out in my mind after hearing some points theat were made as to why teachers should keep their jobs was, that in this school district the salaries of teachers only amount for 8% of the budget! Yet they were the only biggest cut! Thsi infor was put forth by attorney representing the teachers union members. Would the V of SD please look into this and see how accurate it is and answer why?"
7. Howiek wrote on April 21, 2008 6:28 AM:
"This is what some in the community see as a fair way to cure California�s fiscal uncertainty! Big Ticket Items�A billion at a time! � $4.8 billion, Restore Vehicle License Fee tax rate to 2 percent, � $4.5 billion, Tax large corporate commercial property at market value, � $2.8 billion, Begin 5 percent surtax on income before tax deductions considered, � $2 billion, Restore upper income tax brackets at 10 and 11 percent, � $1.3 billion, Increase corporate tax rate by 1 percent to 9.84 percent, � $1.2 billion, Initiate sales tax on legal services*, � $1 billion, Initiate a 6 percent tax on oil production. Smaller Ticket items�A Million at a time! � $700 million, Limit corporate use of R&D credits to shelter income, � $400 million, Cap mortgage interest deductions at $500,000 of debt, � $300 million, Restore Subchapter S corporation tax to 2.5 percent, � $$280 million, Initiate sales tax on cable TV and other program distribution, � $100 million, Crack down on corporate tax evaders, � $100 million, End enterprise zone program, � $50 million, Eliminate incentive for commercial property owners to buy out-of-state property and avoid capital gains, � $26 million, End ability to avoid paying sales tax on yachts. There you have it, $19.56 billion�a great way to close the budget gap in California** *But why stop with just the legal profession? Why are not the doctors/nurses, auto mechanics, deli�s (they serve food too), and home repair people? Tax the total hours while performing the work being done! I�m sure a few more billion can be squeezed out of the people. **Courtesy of the California Tax Reform Association via the California Federation of Teachers newsletter of February�March 2008"
8. Howiek wrote on April 21, 2008 6:28 AM:
"Sorry about the format of the post--it was pulled from a Word document."
9. Billy Bob Henry wrote on April 21, 2008 7:28 AM:
"Howie-some points are really good, others are really whacky. BTW Deli's ARE taxed, any restaurant that provides sit down service is required to tax their food items. Tax legal services .. Hmm.... have not heard that one before-but I will roll with it, since the only ones who can afford legal services are the well off. Taxing commercial property at market rates is an excellent idea, one that has been floated many times. Problem is it scares people because it may lead to residential taxing at market rates. 5% surtax on income-isn't that an increase in the tax rate??? NO-we are already the highest income tax state in the nation. Tax cable TV-have you seen a cable TV or phone bill lately?? Has 20 taxes on it already. You need to stop reading biased baloney put out by the California Federation of Teachers, they only care about themselves-that's it."
10. Billy Bob Henry wrote on April 21, 2008 7:38 AM:
"BTW Gene, emplpoyee compensation is by far the biggest expense in any organization, and education is no different. Those costs are actually much higher in public education than a private business or private schools, running about 80% - 85% in public education. How much are teacher costs compared to overall empoloyee costs?? Easily the VAST MAJORITY when including administrators.."
11. A student wrote on April 21, 2008 8:26 AM:
"BBH is right on again. I would further add that if the county had just a mere portion of that over spending on teachers for fire protection maybe, just maybe, people wouldn't mind giving a little bit of that tax money towards education. However, don't some of you big spenders think 52-60% is a bit much for schools. Ever see the waste that goes on in our schools? Whatever happened to the teachers that went into to teaching to teach and not be so concerned about making big bucks?"
12. Ed wrote on April 21, 2008 8:38 AM:
"Allison, The current situation was set in motion years ago. If you want a healthy education budget you need a healthy AND sustainable STATE budget. Go learn about all the financial mistakes this state has made to figure out how we got hear and ask the teacher's unions why they weren't advocating for sustainable STATE budgets. The chickens are coming home to roost and there is a huge cost to society. Ask your parents why they elected officials who would not make the hard choices years ago. We have been living large at the expensive of future generations. Welcome to the future. We can no longer blindly believe that the State has unlimited funds. Time for tough choices. Maybe we should stop importing poverty from other nations."
13. Mr. Middleton wrote on April 21, 2008 9:47 AM:
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. The best way to save money is to streamline. Get rid of exclusive contracts with private vendors, which only serve to inflate prices (e.g. $1500 for a $400 laptop). Get rid of all non-essential personnel and services and let families handle those things themselves. Get rid of outside consultants and asinine retreats and conferences (i.e. the only ones which are necessary are those involving observing a model school in action). Get rid of all extra-duty positions - pay teachers $100k and make them be on call all year round (i.e. if summer school teachers or professional development are needed, no extra pay; it's built into the contract)."
14. Fred wrote on April 21, 2008 10:00 AM:
"Good essay, but the reality is that this state does not want well-educated people living in it. Well-educated people will not buy SUV's, live in distant suburbs and fork over more money for gas, eat the GMO slop being peddled to the masses, vote for Republicans that want to tear down what 230 years of American democracy have labored to build, fight immoral wars of conquest for territory in which the last few drops of oil lie buried, and generally go along with the degraded lives planned for them by the top 1% who are angling to sew up the last of the world's wealth--permanently. Only a knuckle dragging caveman with a kink in his brain would follow like a sheep on the path intended for him. Unfortunately, their numbers are growing."
15. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 10:25 AM:
"Most replies seem to agree that the system is dysfunctional -- and it is. This is a race between reform and revolution, and the teacher unions have kept the lid on the reform movement for so long that the pressure builds toward revolution. Right now the system relies on under-educated parents not recognizing the continuing downward spiral of the still-more undereducated. At some point the system will self correct -- or self destruct. Washington D.C is the model."
16. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 10:25 AM:
"Most replies seem to agree that the system is dysfunctional -- and it is. This is a race between reform and revolution, and the teacher unions have kept the lid on the reform movement for so long that the pressure builds toward revolution. Right now the system relies on under-educated parents not recognizing the continuing downward spiral of the still-more undereducated. At some point the system will self correct -- or self destruct. Washington D.C is the model."
17. Howiek wrote on April 21, 2008 10:25 AM:
"Never fear BBH, recall I mentioned that some in the community were suggesting this as a blueprint for a budget—I certainly don’t agree with a lot of it but I do find some of the proposals intriguing. Thought some of you would like to know what the teacher’s union was recommending. But before enacting any new taxes there should be a complete cleaning of the existing budget and get rid of the BS and fat that already exists, especially the various committees that are staffed with politician’s wives, cronies and ex-politicians. And the state school system really needs to sit down and streamline itself, it’s really a very bloated bureaucracy—then maybe we could all sit down and discuss new revenue streams."
18. CMR wrote on April 21, 2008 10:43 AM:
"Let me point out again - if the teachers in the district Ms. Finn attends had agreed to a 2% paycut (that would work out to a pay cut of approximaly $130 a month for the average Poway Unified School District Teacher) there would have been NO layoffs. We are in a downturn. Scores if not hundreds of realtors in Ms. Finn's District are out of work. Residential construction has ground to a halt (shocking stat - only 58 new homes sold in all of the 92127 zip code in 2007). Statewide unemployment has ticked up 1/2 a percent in just a month. Is it really unrealistic to ask employees shielded by seniority to cut back a bit? And yet, the measure failed 56 to 44. And so, faced with a rock and a hard place, the district sent out pink slips."
19. Mr. Middleton wrote on April 21, 2008 11:27 AM:
"Sorry - that should have read "i.e. keep only the ones....""
20. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 1:49 PM:
"Let me tell you where the money could come from to pay GOOD teachers a MINIMUM of the $100,000 a year they deserve (if they are willing to give up tenure). 1.) Abolish school-oriented sports, and sell off the HUGE real estate devoted to ball fields and school stadiums. (Fly a private plane over schools, as I have done many times, and look at the amount of land devoted to academics, and the amount devoted to various sports! Land is the single most expensive cost in California education.) 2.) End all "transportation" to and from school, except on a prepaid monthly pass situation. 3.) End all non-academic school activities, i.e. band, P.E. (sell off the gyms; here I would make an exception only for "Speech and Debate”). 4.) Reduce the administrative staff to the ratio of the average of the private schools in the County. Comtinued..."
21. Iowa Eddie wrote on April 21, 2008 1:53 PM:
"There doesn't seem to be much left in San Diego that's not screwed up. How did you all let this happen. San Diego is fast becoming the poster child for Corruption and Greed."
22. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 1:56 PM:
"5.) End all printed school book materials, and rely on CD/DVD textbooks alone. 6.) Abolish all school libraries except for CD/DVD/On-line reference material. (There are almost 700 tax-supported libraries in San Diego County!) 7.) Build all schools as multi-story structures with a single plan, without architects, to diminish land use and building costs. When was the last time you saw two multi-story school buildings? 8.) Eliminate �¢??Special Education�¢?? classes �¢?? theirs is a societal problem, not an educational problem. If you must retain Special Education classes, limit expenditures to 2X per student, and do not mainstream students who hold back regular students. 9.) Test all incoming students at every grade for English proficiency, and segregate those not ready to stay with the class, academically, until they are proficient. This is only half the reforms I believe are necessary, but enough to get started."
23. College Boy wrote on April 21, 2008 2:37 PM:
"Allen, it will never happen and its to bad as your suggestions would be a good start in cleaning up a problem that has gone on way to long. The magic word is "TENURE." Tenure is what has kept all the bad apples in the system and it has cost all of us dearly. The students suffer because of bad teachers as they can't easily be removed and the tax payers just keep footing the bill for sub-standard instructors."
24. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 3:05 PM:
"To College Boy: Yes, that is a major part of the problem, but it is worse than that. The Schools of Education are turning out less than serious teachers by the thousands. Because I was a core adjunct prof. of computer science, i was allowed to get a FREE second Master's Degree -- I selected the School of Education. I quit after four courses because of the lack of rigor in the classes. Not one student in ANY of my classes got less than an "A," regardless of the quality of their work! (It was mostly sub-standard!)"
25. Mr. Middleton wrote on April 21, 2008 3:40 PM:
"Actually, there is no such thing as tenure except for college professors. All K-12 educators are entitled to is due process. I've known of several teachers who've been gotten rid of through due process. That a teacher cannot be fired is a myth."
26. College Boy wrote on April 21, 2008 5:32 PM:
"Mr. Middleton, it is my understanding that there IS Tenure in K-12. Is this not part of the benefits that has been provided by the teachers unions? I find Mr. Hemphill very knowledgeable on this subject as he has been there and done that. In my college days (many years ago) I find this new scholastic atmosphere deplorable. The respect and discipline has all but disappeared from the classroom and unfortunately it is showing up in the business and professional worlds. One just has to look at other societies such as the Asians to see how more focused, determined, and serious they are about their education."
27. Allen Hemphill wrote on April 21, 2008 6:11 PM:
"Mr. Middleton: You are technically correct, and teachers are fired, but not routinely. The financial cost of firing is too high, the union will defend even the indefensible, and the money required takes money from more important projects -- like the classroom. It is easier to transfer bad teachers, just like the Catholic Church did with pedophiles, in the hope that new surroundings will magically cause a bad teacher to become a good teacher. The union defense of bad teachers uses the funds provided by good teachers, and I suspect good teachers want the bad teachers to be fired!"
28. Fred Williams wrote on April 22, 2008 6:10 AM:
"Get sports out of schools. Other countries save a lot of money by letting athletic clubs pay for sports training, instead of taking money from the schools. Sports distract from academics, and they cost a lot of money. Schools should focus on brains, not brawn. P.E. should be about students' fitness. Football is a fun hobby, but it's NOT education. Keep the schools focused on education, and let the sports teams pay for their players' semi-pro training themselves."
29. Cali wrote on April 22, 2008 7:24 AM:
"There are a lot of interesting ideas and point being thrown around here. Some of the information provided, while accurate, has been taken out of context. The stat about California teachers being the highest paid is one of those facts. Currently California has a huge bubble of Baby Boomer teachers at the high end of the pay scale. We've known this for years now. When the NEA creates that statistic about how much a given state's teachers make they use the "average salary paid out per year". Every district in the state has it's own salary scale and that information is public knowledge. For PUSD you can find it on the district website. link The irony here is that in 5 years when all these baby boomers retire, the union will be able to use those same stats from NEA to argue that CA teachers are underpaid."
30. Cali wrote on April 22, 2008 8:01 AM:
"Getting rid of tenure, merit pay, state testing and all the other ideas here are very viable, but they will do nothing to actually solve the problem. Raise standards for teachers all you want, it will only make the problem worse. Why is that? link The problem is that no one is going into teaching anymore. When August rolls around and districts need to fill positions they end up just sticking in a warm body and hoping for the best. The demand for teachers has far outstripped the supply. Again a problem that California has known about since the late 1990s and did nothing to address." California will need to replace at least 100,000 teachers, a full one-third of the teacher workforce, as baby boomer teachers retire over the next ten years." link That's from 2006, what has the state done to attract the best and brightest since then?"
31. Lomita wrote on April 22, 2008 8:23 AM:
"It is true that more money does not guarantee a better education. But there is a minimum amount of funding that schools need and they need stable funding from year to year so they can plan. But if we are going to dramatically improve education in California, we need educational reforms. Merit pay for teachers would be a huge shot in the arm for education. In Denver, merit pay was supported by the teacher's union. The California teacher's union should stop resisting all reforms and help design a merit pay system that is fair to all teachers."
32. mlaiuppa wrote on April 22, 2008 10:31 PM:
"California ranks dead last in the ratio of school librarians per student. Anyone that talks about California's commitment to literacy and student achievement and doesn't support a librarian in every school is a hypocrite. California used to have the best public school system in the nation. Now we fight over the "worst" position. "California schools: not quite as bad as Mississippi" should be our motto. The ratio of school librarians per student nationwide is 1:900. The ratio of school librarians per student in California is 1:6000. That's right. THOUSAND. Take California out of the statistics and the national average drops significantly. (It's called an outlier; sixth grade math.)"
33. Vote-em-out wrote on April 23, 2008 12:18 PM:
"Isn't it amazing what the politicians have done to our city and state. Our roads, our schools, our sewer and water systems, our pension fund, our public transportation, has become the laughing stock of the country. unfortunately the list goes on and the light at the end of the tunnel is still off."
34. Kevin wrote on April 23, 2008 12:28 PM:
"I can't agree with removing sports from school, unless it was just as easy for students to play organized sports elsewhere. Otherwise expect an up tick in juvenile delinquency."
35. Mark Schaeffer wrote on April 25, 2008 12:27 PM:
"Once upon a time, teachers and public safety employees could afford to buy homes and raise families in the communities they worked in. Maybe higher property values and community are not compatible."
36. Billy Bob Henry wrote on April 28, 2008 8:12 PM:
"35. Mark Schaeffer wrote on April 25, 2008 12:27 PM: "Once upon a time, teachers and public safety employees could afford to buy homes and raise families in the communities they worked in........... and they still can, while their private sector counter parts cannot even afford to rent a 1 bedroom apartment. Gov employees have it 100 time better than any comparable job in the private sector."
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