Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/31555
4B Daily News – Friday, May 13, 2011 Protests highlight teachers’ frustrations SACRAMENTO (AP) — Teaching was a calling for Jen- nifer Teguia. She says the long hours she spends grading papers, writing exams and calling par- ents are worth it to help young minds thrive. But as she has seen her 9th and 10th grade English classes balloon from 20 students to 36 or 38, she and her colleagues at John F. Kennedy High School in the eastern San Francisco Bay area city of Fremont are getting burned out. “This year has been by far the most difficult year in my career, including the first couple of years where you don’t even know what’s going on and you don’t know the system,” said Teguia, 34, a teacher for 11 years. “I rarely get any time that I’m not working. I think the first day, including weekends, that I didn’t work was in November. ... My parents have helped me score, my husband has helped me score papers. Everybody is trying to help out, and I’m still barely able to still have time to sleep,” she said. “The workload is unbeliev- able.” Teguia was among the hun- dreds of teachers who converged on the state Capitol this week to press lawmakers for more edu- cation funding as schools face the prospect of billions of dollars in cuts to balance California’s budget. Amid frustrations over past and potential budget cuts, anoth- er reality has been emerging for many of those in the profession: Teaching has never seemed less appealing. Prospective candidates are proving it: Enrollment has plunged at teacher colleges in California at a time when the state says it needs more highly qualified educators in the class- room and a wave of baby boomer teachers is getting ready to retire. Teachers face increasing expectations from the state to boost student performance and must deal with a growing popu- lation of non-English speaking students, yet classrooms are being hit hard by the state’s ongoing fiscal woes. The budget turmoil of recent years has led to larger class sizes, furloughs, pro- gram cuts and the annual threat of thousands of layoffs. “I think that we can conclude from the drop in the numbers of individuals who are going into teaching that it is, in fact, less attractive. They see the stories in the newspaper about the high numbers of teachers, especially new ones, in the profession that are being laid off,” said Margaret Gaston, executive director of the Center for the Future of Teach- ing and Learning, a Santa Cruz- based nonprofit that studies the teacher workforce. “The state of California lately has not done very much, if any- thing at all, to encourage these bright and capable young people into going into the teaching pro- fession.” The center praised state lead- ers in its annual report last December for engaging in a robust public debate about how to boost teacher performance and match the most qualified teachers with students. But it added that the state “essentially has little capacity to do what is required to build a teaching force able to meet the high profession- al standards set for them.” “Instead, California’s fiscal crisis has so severely damaged the pipeline for recruiting and training new teachers, and for supporting existing teachers, that the quality of the teacher work- force is likely to be at risk for many years to come,” the report said. On Thursday, lawmakers in both houses of the Legislature unanimously declared May 11 as the Day of the Teacher. “The state of California lately has not done very much, if anything at all, to encourage these bright and capable young people into going into the teaching profession.” — Future of Teaching and Learning Director Margaret Gaston Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, asked teachers in the gallery to stand, telling them ‘‘too often you get blamed for everything that’s wrong and don’t get credit for everything that’s right with our education system.’’ The state Department of Edu- cation says 30,000 teachers and 10,000 teacher aides, clerks and other support staff have been laid off over the past three years. Education spending has declined 9 percent during that period, while school enrollment has fall- en by just 1 percent. The 300,000 teachers who remain are coping with more students in each classroom, more responsibilities, less prepa- ration time, and often, lower pay because of furlough days. The National Center for Edu- cation Statistics, which compiles education data for the federal government, ranks California 47th in the nation in the number of students per classroom teacher as of 2010. On top of that, California has among the most rigorous acade- mic standards in the nation but is scaling back on professional development programs that help teachers improve their skills. Budget cuts also have forced many schools to cut support staff such as counselors and nurses, and eliminate or reduce art, music and physical education programs, which produce well- rounded students and help hold their interest throughout the day. Enrollment is expected to grow in the next few years beyond the 6.2 million students who are in kindergarten through 12th grade public schools today. About 1.5 million students are classified by the state Depart- ment of Education as English- learners who require additional instruction to gain proficiency. Only about half of California students score as proficient or better on standardized English language arts and math exams. The teachers gathering at the Capitol this week are petitioning lawmakers to extend recent increases to the personal income, sales and vehicle taxes for five years as a way to help the state close its remaining $15.4 billion budget gap. If those taxes are not renewed, Democ- rats warn of devastating cuts throughout state government, including education. School spending accounts for more than 40 percent of the state’s general fund, but total spending has fallen from $71.1 billion in the 2007-2008 fiscal year to about $64.4 billion this year. The figures include federal spending, which will fall further next school year when the gov- ernment’s stimulus program ends. Beverly Gonzalez, 53, one of California’s five 2011 teachers of the year, said teachers are “the silent funders of education.” She has bought copy paper, pencils and even playground balls for her students to use at recess. “We’re asked to do every- thing. We’re asked to solve every problem — obesity and English- language learning and reaching the state standards — and we do it. We work so hard,” said Gon- zalez, an 18-year teacher who teaches fourth and fifth graders at Santa Fe School in Baldwin Park, near Los Angeles. “I tutor for free five hours a week so that my students have what they need. I don’t ask for any money for that. ... It is my pleasure to be able to do that, but at some point it becomes a choice of paying bills or funding the schools.” The average annual starting salary for a California teacher is $40,000, with the average maxi- mum at $80,000 for the most experienced teachers. Yet many teachers say they feel unappreciated and are scapegoated for poor academic performance that likely has its roots in many areas of society. That has hit home every spring the past few years as school districts throughout the state have had to issue pink slips amid the state’s continued fiscal problems and chronically late budgets. While most teachers are eventually rehired, thou- sands have lost their jobs. This year, an estimated 20,000 teachers and other school staff have been issued pink slips and could be laid off in September. Pat Kaplan, a fourth grade teacher at Bridges Academy in Oakland, said the wait and uncertainty can be agonizing. The process, she said, is taking an emotional toll on many of her colleagues. “They gave layoff notices to six of our teachers. It’s very traumatic for the whole school — the parents, the children,” she said. “And then they rescinded those layoffs, but it’s still very traumatic and difficult.” HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY Print Runs Every Monday - Wednesday- Friday $9900 Appliance Service & Used Appliances Appliance Repair Rod Pierce service on all major appliances. Factory trained service technician with over 17 years experience Service calls from $49.95 INCLUDES: Service call diagnosis and up to 30 MINUTES of labor Used appliances starting at $ 99.00 530-528-1884 Heating & AC Lic# 45934 We offer same day, next day • Plumbing • Drywall Repairs • Fences • Decks • Concrete • Garages Quality at a reasonable price FREE ESTIMATES 530 949-6162 CA LIC#914460 Advertisement HVAC & General Contractor Lic. #619239 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL REBATES ON FULL INSTALLATIONS FREE ESTIMATES D.A.V. & SENIOR DISCOUNT References available upon request (New Construction/Remodels) 1-800-739-4706 Serving Tehama County and surrounding areas since 1990 Lawn Care Troy Jones Masonry Commercial & Residential Full Service Lawn Maintenance • Mowing • Lawn Aerations • Edging • Spring Clean-ups • Weedeating FREE CONSULTATION Serving Greater Tehama County since 1994 Remodels & Additions • Stone • Brick • Block • Backyard BBQ’s & Patios Troy Jones - Owner Licensed & Insured #728683 (530) 528-1614 If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Masonry House Remodel / Specialist Rental Turnovers / Repairs Bathroom Remodels / Tile Painting • Electrical le On-Line No early cancellation, non-refundable Construction Advertisement Alns Construcin to If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Landscaping Professional C Lawn Care ANNADAY'S LANDSCAPING • Lawn Mowing • Firebreak/Fireline • Weed Eating • Pruning • Tree Removal • Hauling • Recession Proof Pricing David: (530) 736-6652 Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Print and On-Line runs 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at www.redbluffdailynews.com in the Tehama Country Real Estate section Residential • Commerical PATIOS • DECKS Construction Remodel, Construction Burrows New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot Damage Specialist, New Construction Foundation to Finish FREE ESTIMATES & REFRENCES Lic#824770 Ph: (530) 515-9779 Landscaping Torres Landscaping Mowing, Pruning, Weeding, Blowing, Cleaning, Trimming Yearly Yard Maintenance Monthly or One time available All around LAWN Maintenance Free Estimates Cell: 530-526-3752 Home: 520-529-5474 Ramon Torres Lic.# 10034 Tractor Service Tractor Dan “Have Tractor-Will Travel” Mow (Rotary or Flail) Till - Disk - Rip - Harrow Load - Light Hauling Gannon Box - Float Dan Marshall Owner/ Operator Insured Tehama County Resident since 1958 (530) 527-1437 * Custom Landscaping * Landscape Maintenance * Hardscaping * Irrigation Experts * Landscape Lighting 30 years experience consistent & reliable David McFann Office (530) 527-3163 visit us @ dpm-landscaping.com Ca. Lic #560133 Est. 1979 Junk Hauling • Attics • Basements • Garage Clean-outs • Leaves • Brush • Bulk Items Reasonable Prices Call Today For Your Free Clean-up Estimates Steve Landavazo 530-567-5338 $5 OFF with this coupon STEVE’S DUMP RUNS Handyman Help for Seniors & Singles “Let me help you with the small repairs to keep your home running smoothly” 527-2288 Home Repairs At Very Reasonable Rates Call Richard at Landscape Contractor Advertisement If this was your Service Directory ad customers would be reading it right now!! Call us at 527-2151 For more information Landscape/Fence Tractor & Landscape Service Steve’s • Fence Building • Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. Lic. #703511 Steve Dyke 385-1783 Yard Maintenance Brent Kremer Year Round Services Yard Maintenance (530) 321-0981 Commercial & Residential * Lawns * Bushes * Tree Trimming * Clean-ups * Sprinkler Repair & Installation FREE ESTIMATES ✄ ✄