San Benito County will initially spend about $300,000 for the
Nov. 8 special election that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for
Monday, as he began campaigning for a series of ballot measures
that, if passed, would tip the power in state government away from
the Legislature and toward him.
”
The county is going to have to foot the bill,
”
said Registrar John Hodges.
Hollister – San Benito County will initially spend about $300,000 for the Nov. 8 special election that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for Monday, as he began campaigning for a series of ballot measures that, if passed, would tip the power in state government away from the Legislature and toward him.
“The county is going to have to foot the bill,” said Registrar John Hodges.
The governor is backing three ballot initiatives that call for increasing the time it takes teachers to gain tenure, stripping state legislators of the power to draw their own districts and imposing a cap on state spending. Some educators and politicians in San Benito County are skeptical of Schwarzenegger’s motives and are concerned that he is trying to govern by initiative.
Hodges said that the county will have to put up about $300,000 for the election. And though the state is supposed to reimburse counties for the cost of the election, San Benito is still waiting to be reimbursed for the 2003 recall election against former Gov. Gray Davis, he said.
“It’s going to be really costly for the county,” he said.
Among the initiatives that Schwarzenegger is backing for the special election is one that would lengthen the time it takes teachers to gain tenure from two years to five.
Jean Burns Slater, superintendent of the San Benito High School District, said she doesn’t support the initiative because she has a problem with the whole special election progress.
“My belief is we believe we elect a legislative body to act for us,” she said.
Despite her disagreement in principle with the initiative process, Burns Slater did say that increasing the time it takes teachers to gain tenure could be beneficial to both teacher and administrator.
Currently teachers are either tenured or dismissed after two years, she said, forcing administrators to make decisions about a teacher’s future without having enough time to observe the teacher at work.
“Sometimes you have to make rash decisions,” she said.
But if the time it takes a teacher to gain tenure were increased, she said, teachers would have a longer time to prove themselves, and administrators could make more informed decisions about what teachers to retain.
“I feel that it’s unnecessary. Teachers are already basically on probation for two years,” said Clete Bradford, California Teachers Association president for San Benito High School.
Bradford said that the possibility of tenure is not a major reason why people get into the teaching profession, but given the current teaching shortage the governor’s desire to increase the time it takes teachers to get tenure makes him question Schwarzenegger’s dedication to education.
But outside the school circles, at least one resident had a different take.
“Changing from two years to five years will not hurt good teachers,” said San Benito County resident Marvin Jones who was at the Farmers Market Wednesday. He added that extending the time it takes teachers to gain tenure would give school administrators time to observe teachers and make sure they are qualified to be in the classroom.
A second initiative Schwarzenegger is pulling for would change the way that state Senate and Assembly Districts are drawn. If passed, the initiative would take the power to draw political districts from the state legislature and hand it over to a panel of retired judges.
“It’s a power grab to change the make up. He wants more Republicans,” said Assemblymember Simon Salinas, D-Salinas.
Salinas said he is concerned about who the panel of judges would be accountable to.
“Who is this panel of retired judges? What is their philosophy,” he asked.
The third initiative Schwarzenegger is backing has county educators concerned about their budgets. The initiative would give the governor the power to make budget cuts to any program, including education, that isn’t mandated by federal law
“I feel outraged that there would be unilateral cuts to education. We are already asked to provide a world-class education on a shoestring budget,” said Judith Barranti, superintendent of the Hollister School District, which has been struggling with a budget deficit throughout the year. “If the education of our children is a priority in this state, then we must make the funding for education a priority.”
Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association President Jan Grist agreed.
“It will be totally detrimental to schools,” said Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association Jan Grist. “Something that people want, is a guarantee of education – he’s going to gut it for his corporate cronies.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Luke Roney covers politics and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected].
