Hundreds of San Benito County educators staunchly oppose
Proposition 76, the measure proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
on the Nov. 8 ballot intended to stabilize state finances and end
deficit spending, according to teacher’s union representatives and
administrators.
Hollister – Hundreds of San Benito County educators staunchly oppose Proposition 76, the measure proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Nov. 8 ballot intended to stabilize state finances and end deficit spending, according to teacher’s union representatives and administrators.
If passed, county educators assert, Proposition 76 would cut school funding. On Saturday teachers from across the county will walk through local neighborhoods throughout the county talking to residents about the measures and the impact they would have on San Benito County, union officials said Wednesday.
Dubbed the “Live Within Our Means Act” by supporters, Proposition 76 would limit state spending to an average of the previous three years’ revenue. It would also give the governor new authority to initiate spending cuts and would repeal Proposition 98, a voter-approved funding guarantee to schools.
If passed, some school and community college funding now guaranteed by state law would be subject to annual review and possible cuts by the governor.
“This one is big,” San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley said. “Proposition 98 is a flawed funding model, but we would hate to throw the baby out with the bath water on this one. Schools need steady and reliable funding and 76 won’t be the solution.”
Like Foley, the Aromas-San Juan Board of Trustees has come out against the measure. The board voted earlier this year to approve a resolution opposing Proposition 76, Superintendent Jackie Muñoz said.
“I agree with the board,” she said. “(If 76 passes) the budget will be balanced on the backs of educators. It’s getting more and more difficult to run public education as we know it and at the same time we’re being held to higher standards of accountability.”
Teachers also oppose the measure.
“This (proposition) would permanently reduce school funding,” San Benito High School Teachers Association President Chuck Schallhorn said. “That translates into more teacher lay-offs, larger class sizes, fewer textbooks and overcrowded schools.”
For the 2003-2004 school year California ranked 25th nationally in terms of per-pupil spending, according to the latest figures available from the National Educator Association.
In addition to Prop. 76, teachers are working to make sure their opposition to Propositions 74 and 75 is also heard. Proposition 75 would place limits on how union dues paid by teachers and other public employees are spent on political causes.
Proposition 74, the “teacher tenure” initiative, focuses on increasing the probationary period for new teachers from two years to five. Teachers believe the probationary period doesn’t need to be extended.
“If administrators are given the time to be in the classroom and observe, they can tell, within two years, if somebody has the ability to be a teacher,” Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association President Jan Grist said. “A good administrator will know that.”
Ray Thorpe, president of the Marguerite Maze Middle School Parent, Teacher Student Organization suggested a three year probationary period might be a more reasonable compromise.
“(Five years) seems to be a little extreme,” Thorpe said. “Teachers would be less likely to come to California to teach if they know they’re going to be on probation for five years.”
It’s another provision of Proposition 74 that has veteran teachers worried. They could be fired after two straight poor performance evaluations even after reaching tenure. The governor has said both provisions of the initiative are designed to improve the quality of education in California schools by weeding out bad teachers.
Veteran teachers are concerned that changing the terms of their permanent status makes them vulnerable to a revolving door of school principals, some of whom might judge them on personality – or politics – rather than performance.
“This would put a nail in the coffin of public education and it is a concern for every teacher who values a collective voice,” Schallhorn said. “Bad teachers need to be taken out of the classroom, but this isn’t the way to do it.”
The Education Code already has procedures in place for removing teachers, which Schallhorn said are working.
Proposition 74 has failed to generate widespread support. A poll released late last month by the Public Policy Institute of California showed 47 percent of likely voters oppose it, with 43 percent in favor; 10 percent were undecided.
Although area teachers oppose Proposition 74, several district administrators in San Benito County declined to comment on the issue. County School Superintendent Tim Foley was neutral on the proposition, but said administrators “shouldn’t have to wait five years if a teacher isn’t performing up to standards.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell is against both Propositions 74 and 76, Spokeswomen Hilary Mclean said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected]
