Teachers in one of the worst school districts in the country are planning to walk out in protest over state budget cuts.
June 5, 2008 - The Los Angeles Unified School District will be in court Friday to ask for a restraining order to try and stop a walkout by 40,000 teachers.
The action comes after the state Public Employee Relations Board earlier this week denied the district's request for an injunction against United Teachers of Los Angeles, the 48,000-member teachers' union.----------------
Teachers are planning to spend the first hour of school on Friday on picket lines to protest a projected $353 million cut in state funding for the district for the upcoming school year. The union says teachers will not be paid for that hour.
TT - The state is running at a $17 Billion - with a B - deficit and legislators are yet to approve the 2008-2009 budget. That budget is also projected to be $10 - $15 Billion - with a B. Much of that is due to declining revenues due to the subprime mortgage problems and a decline of up to 15% in home values. California chronically depends upon deficit spending and long-term loans in the billions to finance their spending sprees, but tighter markets and a poor credit rating mean they can no longer borrow that kind of money on the bond market.
The Los Angeles Times reported in February that state revenues have been in such rapid decline that fiscal analysts warned California was in danger of not having enough cash on hand to pay its bills by this summer. Governor Schwarzenegger is candid about the reasons: If education, health and other state services were spent responsibly within their budgets, there would be no budget crisis.
The governor’s solution is to balance the budget by borrowing $15 Billion -with B - against future lottery proceeds and changing the lottery to make it more profitable - that is, if anyone is willing to fork over the money to spending junkies.
To get Wall Street to lend the state the $15 billion against a modernized lottery, Californians would have to pay $23 billion to $30 billion in interest and other borrowing costs over the next 30 years.Click on the picture at this story to see protesting teachers. This is how Greatschools.net rates Compton schools, a city that is the gang and crime capitol of Southern California.
Teachers in schools that rate 3, with 1 being the lowest, don't deserve a raise. They aren't earning what they're paid now.
