K-12 Budget Cuts in California - Research Paper Example

? K-12 Budget cuts in California Your First here, your middle initial here, your here of your school here The content ofthis paper will cover the subject matter of the state of California’s budget cuts. Budget cuts in this nation have usually been made to help a state’s economy stay equally stable. Unfortunately the state’s economy is run by people and people are the main receivers of these budget cuts. The people are not always in favor of the budget cuts when other solutions can be made. The people in the state are definitely for the progression and the health of their economy. The people of the state feel as though their voices should be heard if budget cuts are needed and where would be the best possible place to cut. In the case of California budget cuts in regards to k-12 education this is not so. The majorities of the people are not in favor of the proposed budget cuts and are not afraid to say so. Voices are heard from newspapers, newsreels, high offices and education systems themselves. Why are budget cuts proposed? Where do the deciding factors come from? In who’s best interest? These are the underlying questions to the foundation of this paper. Proposed state budget cuts are looked upon as evils by the people. Budget cuts means jobs lost, jobs lost means hard times, unwanted struggles and hopeful prayers. Budget cuts means some organization that has served the people will not be able to do so any longer in the original capacity. Budget cuts are often times proposed in place of tax increases. Although tax increases would usually only affect the higher income families. The government relies on the state’s elected leaders to lead during the time of economic downturn and budget cuts. The deciding factors in budget cuts are sometimes based on the efficient use of the remaining and less spending of the variables involved. In the state of California one of the areas involving budget cuts is in education. Specifically covered here will be grades k-12. Education budget cuts mean massive layoffs for teachers among other educational expense loss, such as purchasing of books. The impact and acceptation of the budget is described here in an article from Targeted News Service (2011), Despite positive economic messages surrounding President Obama's recent State of the Union address, America's 14,000 school districts will remain vulnerable for the next half decade. Nationally, forty states currently project budget gaps totaling over $140 billion for the next fiscal year. Even worse, states will have to try to fill the gaps with nearly $40 billion less in federal stimulus funds than they had last year--creating what many officials are calling the "ARRA cliff," the sudden loss of billions of dollars in federal money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Looking even further down the road, twenty-four states already face a combined gap of $66 billion for fiscal year 2013. When it comes to schools, these gaps are significant because state dollars account for almost half, 48.3 percent, of K-12 education funding. In California, the budget picture is grim. The state faces ongoing structural budget gaps of over $20 billion a year through 2014, with debt levels currently topping out over $25 billion for this fiscal year. Governor Brown's proposed budget slashes higher education funding by over $1 billion, or nearly 20 percent, and his promise to avoid cuts to K-12 education hinges on a tax extension vote in June. If voters reject the tax extension, school districts could face an additional $4 to $5 billion in cuts before classes begin. All of this comes on top of the 14.5 percent hit K-12 funding has taken since 2007. Listed above are the hard facts the state of California is facing. Are the budget cuts necessary because the government failed in its duties or is the state? For either answer there are individuals who have come up with answers on how to prevent future cuts in areas that are desperately needed. The dropout rate is not decreasing, the need for our teachers to be in the schools is even more necessary now than ever before. Teachers are the light in a sometimes dark grim place. Teachers will find it hard to be a light if they are overburdened, stressed and overworked. The goal is supposed to be “no child left behind”. How will this happen if there are not enough teachers taking the time out to nurture the educational needs of these children. The budget cut will also affect the number of teaching majors to go down. In an economic downturn individuals are looking for careers that will stabilize their own welfare. Teachers are necessary tools in the infrastructure of the economy. In regard to the reasoning of accepting the massive layoff of teachers a statistic is given according to an article presented in State Budget Solutions (2011) In most states appropriations for K-12 education represent approximately half of the general fund budget. State funding for K-12 totaled $323.9 billion in FY2009. Despite the money spent on K-12 education, the Gates Foundation estimates that 1/3 of students drop out between 9th and 12th grade and 1/3 of those who graduate are not prepared for college or the workforce. Of those who do attend college, 56% need to take a remedial course in math or science. Now, lawmakers are considering big cuts to education. Is this a good enough reason for the lawmakers to cut education costs? According to the lawmakers it is. Every budget cut has a justifiable reasoning to it. The question lies is the reasoning justifiable to the public. No both parents and teachers are voicing their opinions in regards to the budget cuts. Several school principals in the California area have decided to make it their goal to go the state legislators and voice the effects of the cuts. Sometimes cuts are easily made when not directly affected. The goal of the educational leaders is to present the affects in the face of the legislature. Budget cuts have left California high school students with fewer critical learning opportunities and have intensified the inequality between schools serving low- and high-income communities, according to a new UCLA report to be released during a teleconference at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 21. "The principals we spoke with are struggling to do the best they can with the limited resources they have," said Rogers, who also plans to brief state legislators and staff in Sacramento next week. "In many places, for many students, that's simply not enough." Principals reported that their schools had decreased instructional time -- from shorter school years to less after-school instruction and summer school. A high proportion of principals reported layoffs and noted that these cuts have negatively impacted the amount of personal attention students receive from teachers and counselors and have made schools less safe. A majority of principals also noted that the amount of instructional materials has been slashed. (Targeted News Service, 2011) The iniative of the principals shown here is nothing less than duty and concern for the field they have chosen to serve in. The legislature will hopefully be able to understand that one day their seats will be vacated and replaced by this generation whose funds are being cut. David Lisle a substitute teacher in the Los Angeles area states that “Democracy needs to be restored back in the state of California.” (National Radio Project, 2010) According to David the budget represents a loss of democracy in the state he lives, works and thrives in. Is this part of the American Picture? Some parents were heard saying the cut is devastating to the children’s futures; who will save the children? Democracy is lost? According to David Lisle it is. Let’s examine the meaning of democracy. According to the mirriam-webster (2011) dictionary democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. The people’s choice has not been heard in this case. Where has democracy gone? Will democracy return? Although budget cuts are proposed and made not all government parties agree unanimously on which areas to cut. This results in battles. Today it threatens the reality of a government shutdown. According to an article in The New York Times (2011) After meeting with the Republicans, Mr. Obama suggested with some bitterness that they were still trying to score political points, demanding victories on abortion or gutting environmental regulation to keep the government open. He made it clear that that was not acceptable, and neither are demands to cut 60,000 Head Start teaching positions, or medical research, or other items that are vital to many Americans and the fragile economic recovery. There will still be a few more meetings before the shutdown deadline, but leaders on both sides say they are more pessimistic about reaching agreement. The public may need to rely on the pain of an actual shutdown to bring radical House lawmakers back to reality. The reality here is that there are some government officials who only want to do what’s in the best interest of themselves and their elite friends instead looking carefully after the people keeping them in office. Not all share the same opinion as can be seen in the article quote above. The parents of the children also have a voice. The budget cuts announcement received different reactions from parents You may already know that school districts throughout California have faced budget cuts throughout the years.  In response parents got together and formed the LHS Booster Club with the simple mission to financially assist Lincoln High School programs. (LHS, 2011) In this case parents are not going to allow the state’s budget cut to dictate their children’s education. The parents here have taken matters into their own hands and provided an opportunity for their children’s education system to survive in this economic downturn. The growing concerns of parents are being captured in news Medias all over. This generation needs speakers or else their educational survival will diminish. The parents, educational leaders and government officials who reject the notion of cuts to education are the determined, non-stopping, motivated voice for this generation. At a time when Californians are looking for reforms that will improve student achievement, more Californians are seeing the direct effect of the state’s budget problems on children, teachers, and resources in their local schools,” says Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO. They expect better results from their leaders in Sacramento and in Washington. K–12 education is the largest spending category in the state budget and the area that a majority of Californians (63%) most want to protect from spending cuts; far fewer residents name other spending categories as those they would most like to protect (14% health and human services, 13% higher education, and 7% prisons). (Santa Barbara News Network, 2011) The citizens have an opinion. As seen in the above article they have expressed not only their protests but their fears and concerns. Are there any positives involved in the k-12 budget cuts in California? After searching this is what was found "The survey results make clear that school administrators are making heartrending decisions to balance their dwindling budgets while trying valiantly to keep students' best interests in mind," said O'Connell. "Sixty-five percent of districts that responded to this survey made cuts to building and school grounds maintenance, 58 percent cut funding for instructional materials, and 58 percent reduced funding for district administration. Forty percent of respondents have reduced the number of teachers; reduced or eliminated summer school; increased class sizes; and cut art and music classes, closed libraries, eliminated school nurse positions, and canceled sports programs. (California Department of Education, 2010) The answer here is clear there are no positives to the k-12 budget cut in California. An old chinese proverb states “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” (Thinkexist.com, 2010) Involve don’t exclude the children from the education system by cutting funding. Bring back democracy, jobs, and establish a plan for economic stability so the next time a curve ball is thrown our reflexes will be tested instead of being knocked down. References "More Budget Cuts for Education in California." Targeted News Service. Targeted News Service LLC. 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2011 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2254066801.html (2011, April 14). 85% of Californians say K-12 Education a problem, survey says — SB’s Adelante charter ‘ok’. The Santa Barbara News Network. Retrieved from http://www.thesbnn.com/?p=8198 (2011, April 13). K-12 Education. State Budget Solutions Real Solutions for Real Budget Problems. Retrieved http://www.statebudgetsolutions.org/issues/view/breaking-news/5/k-12-education "New UCLA Report Shows Extent of Budget Cuts on California High Schools." Targeted News Service. Targeted News Service LLC. 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2011 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2302794101.html (2010, May 11). Parents, Teachers and Students Respond to Cuts in K-12 Education. National Radio Project. Retrieved from http://www.radioproject.org/2010/05/how-we-survive-the-crisis-in-k-12-education/ (2010). Education Quotes. Thinkexist.com. Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotations/education/ (2011, April 5). The Budget Battles: Republicans Maneuver Toward a Shutdown. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/opinion/06wed1.html?_r=1 (2010, June 10). Schools Make Deep Cuts to Programs Due to Budget Crisis. California Department of Education. Retrieved from http:/www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr10/yr10rel71.asp (2011). LHS Booster Club Mission. Lincoln High School. Retrieved from http://lhs.wpusd.k12.ca.us/parents/boosters/ Democracy. 2011. In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy Read More