Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/38080
4B Daily News – Tuesday, August 2, 2011 Education takes a beating nationwide LOS ANGELES (MCT) — After a particularly brutal budgeting season this sum- mer, states and school dis- tricts across the country have fired thousands of teachers, raised college tuition, relaxed standards, slashed days off the academ- ic calendar and gutted pre- kindergarten and summer school programs. Slashed budgets are nothing new for educators, but experts say this year stands out. Last year, K-12 budgets were cut $1.8 billion nation- wide. According to esti- mates by the National Asso- ciation of State Budget Offi- cers, cuts to K-12 for the new fiscal year may reach $2.5 billion. A year ago, higher-edu- cation budgets across the nation were trimmed $1.2 billion. The expected cuts this year: $5 billion. "They've long since been cutting deep into the bone," said Michael Leachman of the nonpartisan Center on Budget Policies and Priori- ties, based in Washington. At least 22 states have scaled back K-12 funding and at least 24 have made cuts in higher education for fiscal year 2012, the center found. To cover such shortfalls, experts say, school officials often reduce, or eliminate, personnel and programs vital to the most vulnerable populations: lower-income and minority students. In California, many school districts cut spending for adult education, libraries, textbooks, arts and music, gifted students, tutoring for low-performing high school students and other pro- grams, according to two major surveys, including one by the nonpartisan Leg- islative Analyst's Office. Many districts shortened the 180-day school year by five days. "These are extraordinari- ly inequitable cuts for low- income communities of color," said Arun Ramanathan, executive director of the Education Trust-West, an Oakland- based advocacy group. He said that a shorter academic year and cuts to summer classes exacerbate their generally lagging achievement because many low-income students cannot afford the enriched activities enjoyed by their middle- class counterparts, such as museum visits and private tutoring. In Florida, state funds for 15,000 children to attend a school-readiness program for low-income families have been cut, and college tuition was raised 15 percent for the fourth consecutive year. Texas eliminated fund- ing for pre-kindergarten pro- grams that serve about 100,000 at-risk children. Though cuts in education reach all demographics, they do not affect all students equally, said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a nonpar- tisan research group based in Washington. In New Mexico, some school districts have gone to four-day school weeks. In Illinois, high school juniors will no longer be evaluated on writing skills after the state eliminated a writing test, saving about $2.4 million. University of California students will pay $1,818 more in tuition this year than last, after increases of 9.6 percent and 8 percent, and Cal State tuition will rise by $294, to $5,472. In Washington state, law- "If we're worried about the future, we have to be worried about these equity issues," Jennings said. "Who's going to be the employees, the industry leaders in the future? Increasingly, they will be children of color, and they're not going to close the achievement gap." Across the country, edu- cation officials are finding ways to save money: In California, many dis- tricts have cut back on high school counselors, leaving many students to sort out the college application process on their own. makers cut more than $1 bil- lion for class-size reduction, early learning programs and teacher development. Reaction to such cut- backs has varied. Outside Sioux Falls, S.D, teachers and administrators in the Brandon Valley School Dis- trict worked without pay during summer school to stave off cancellation of the summer program. At Wonderland Elemen- tary School in Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon, parents have managed to raise $450,000 a year to retain science, art, physical education, teachers' assistants, yard supervision and a librarian for a library completed two years ago, parent leader Teri Levy said. In many parts of the country, parents and teach- ers have taken to the streets to protest, but to little effect. In Philadelphia, parents mustered 400 signatures on a petition in hopes of saving the job of Hau Chau, a bilin- gual counseling assistant at H.A. Brown Elementary. Chau was the only Viet- namese-speaking employee at a school where 18 percent of students speak the lan- guage at home. "The students feel com- fortable, feel protected when I'm there," she said. "I try to guide them and talk to their teachers to find a way for the students to feel comfortable and happy while they are in school." But nearly half of the 103 bilingual counseling assis- tants and 16 of the 275 teachers of English as a sec- ond language in the School District of Philadelphia were laid off. One of them was Chau. (The district says it will move another Viet- namese speaker to H.A. Brown.) In all, the district laid off 1,228 teachers and 1,277 non-instructional staff to close a $629 million short- fall after the state slashed about $851 million in funds for Pennsylvania public schools. Pennsylvania highlights a problem nationwide. Many districts relied on the $787 billion federal stimu- lus, the Recovery Act of 2009, to make ends meet. The stimulus included $97.4 billion for education. That money is running out. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, says it was the school districts' insistence in recent years on crafting budgets with federal funds — not the Legislature — that caused more than 3,000 teacher layoffs across the state. The busiest local information website in Tehama County! • 338,883 monthly page views St. Elizabeth Community Hospital A member of CHW 2550 Sister Mary Columba Dr., Red Bluff (530) 529-8000 http://www.redbluff.mercy.org • 49,162 unique visitors NORTH STATE PROPERTIES YOUR NORTH STATE REAL ESTATE CONNECTION (530) 529-7622 Please support these businesses that support RedBluffDailyNews.com INTERCITY BODY & PAINT 1355 Vista Way, Red Bluff, by the Airport (530) 529-2040 RANDAL ELLOWAY DDS, INC. 22805 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff www.redbluffyamaha.com • (530) 527-1466 Auto Recycling Inc. All Star (530) 824-2880 Highway 99W & Capay Road (Halfway between Corning & Orland) 22521 Capay Road, Corning CA. 96021 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm • Sat. 9am-2pm CORNERSTONE C O M M U N I T Y B A N K “As Local As You” CALL TODAY (530) 529-1222 www.ccbca.com 237 South Main Street, Red Bluff CA 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff (530) 527-7800 “Where Our Family Is Commited To Yours” 705 Luther Road • Red Bluff (530) 529-2900 Lic. #525002331 I-5 at Liberal Avenue in Corning (530) 528-3500 www.rollinghillscasino.com Implants & Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry 2426 So. Main St., Red Bluf (530) 527-6777 GARY’S AUTO BODY & 24 HOUR TOWING, INC. 13540 Trinity Ave, Red Bluff (530) 527-8262 • (530) 528-8261 IF NO ANSWER CALL 529-7400 www.garysautobodyandtowing.com Furniture DEPOT 235 S Main St. Red Bluff 530 527-1657 www.thefurnituredepot.net (530) 527-9382 P.O. Box 1237 • Red Bluff Caesars Little ® RED BLUFF, 108 MAIN STREET, SUITE C (BY RIVER PARK) (530) 527-1121 1375 Montgomery Rd, Red Bluff (530) 529-0797 Engineering Contractor Lic #651507 General GROWNEY MOTORS 1160 Main Street, Red Bluff (530) 527-1034