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California Budget Cuts

http://acalanes.acalanes.k12.ca.us/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp; http://acalanesblueprint.webs.com/

I went to a public California high school in the East Bay. During my senior year, state budget cuts hit the public education system. Every teacher and every program was in the line of fire, and the situation is getting worse every year. Therefore, parcel tax measures have been a huge part of local politics as of late.

One might blame the government for mishandling tax revenue, but the problem is, “the teachers’ union…owns the state legislature” (see article). The California teachers’ union is a political powerhouse, and it has fought long and hard for decreased classroom size. However, this means layoffs are a less viable option when the budget is tight. So, cuts must affect student programs. Personally, if I had the option of sitting on the floor all day in classes with 40 people or having my student newspaper cut, I’d choose sitting on the floor. I think every student at my school would do the same for their student organization, or to keep the opportunity to take AP courses.

How people feel about the parcel tax measures has a lot to do with the “feel-good” aspect of wanting to give children the best education possible. Therefore, those who oppose the parcel tax get a bad reputation for being greedy and selfish when really, they have the same interests at heart. As principally more free market oriented, anti-regulatory voters, their stance stems from less faith in the ability of local level (and probably all levels) government bureaucracy to handle something as important and serious as a crisis in the education system. They also have a different basic concept of how the economy functions in the long run. They call for temporary difficulty in favor of long-term gain, saying that, instead of tax increases that may erode the tax base and reduce tax revenue, we should encourage private fundraising by those whose interests are most invested in the education system.