Students rally in Sacramento

On Thursday in Sacramento, more than 2,000 students rallied against budget cuts in front of the State Capitol.

Despite a few water fights in the 100 degree heat, students came together to listen to legislators, student leaders and even a few musical artists at the rally, organized by the Campaign for Quality Education.

While Gov. Schwarzenegger’s May budget revision restored some of the proposed funding cuts to education, there remains much work to be done this summer to protect the money schools need.

Keep an eye on the Right To Learn Web site for updates on student budget action all summer long!

Schwarzenegger to maintain Prop 98

Gov. Schwarzenegger announced the May Revision to the state budget Wednesday, the last step before the legislature begins to debate his proposals.

Schwarzenegger’s budget reveals that the state’s revenue (money coming in) is still declining, and the state is facing its worst financial crisis in recent memory — a $15.2 billion deficit.

The revision restores some of the funding that was originally slated to be cut from education, bringing overall spending back up to the minimum amount guaranteed by Proposition 98, cutting funding by $3.9 billion.

To address the rest of the deficit, Schwarzenegger proposes expanding and borrowing against the future earnings of the California lottery and deep cuts to health and other social services. The lottery proposal, however, caps the amount of money the lottery sends to education at $1.2 billion per year (instead of 34 percent).

More information will begin to be released from budget watchdogs like the California Budget Project and the Legislative Analyst’s Office in coming days, so keep an eye out for more news and detail. The threat to California education has not passed; the budget won’t be approved until sometime at the end of the summer.

Schwarzenegger pegs deficit at $20 billion

Governor Schwarzenegger said this week that the state’s estimated budget deficit has ballooned to more than $20 billion — a figure that would mean more stringent cuts to education and other state programs.

As the governor prepares to release his updated budget, called the May Revision, on May 14, it is clear that the budget situation in the state is getting substantially worse, not better. The $20 billion is almost $6 billion more than he first announced in January and twice what the Legislative Analyst’s Office projected in November.

With this announcement, it’s clear that the fight against the budget cuts will continue throughout the summer, beginning with a rally on May 15 in Sacramento. Get involved today and make your voice heard!

A look at April 18

Last Friday, thousands of students throughout California took action against more than $5 billion in proposed budget cuts. From sit-ins to walkouts to rallies and teach-ins, student actions were creatively diverse, yet focused on stopping these potentially disastrous cuts.

Forty schools participated in the Day of Action from as far north as Humboldt County and as far south as San Diego. Nearly 1,000 students signed up on the Right To Learn Web site and an estimated 2,500 other students joined in on April 18.

Here’s a quick look at some of the actions held by students throughout the state:

	Cerritos High (Cerritos) Students at Cerritos High integrated Right To Learn budget advocacy into their spirit week, on Nerd Dress Up Day, informing students about the budget cuts and encouraging them to get involved in the campaign.

Galileo High & O’Connell High (San Francisco) These two schools led a march of more than 500 students from Galileo’s campus to City Hall downtown. Led by the marching band, students passed out fliers with facts about the budget to shopkeepers and the public. At City Hall, a variety of students read speeches and performed poetry and music.

	Grove High (Redlands) Letter writing to the Governor and members of the California Legislators was the order of the day at this charter school in Redlands. Students then organized a school photo–with everyone wearing red– to send with their letters.

New Technology High (Napa) Even though there was no school on April 18 for this group, students gathered in downtown Napa to spread the word about the budget cuts and rally their community.

	Oak Ridge High (El Dorado Hills) Although it wasn’t on school campus, about 30 students from Oak Ridge High School showed up at the Capitol in Sacramento with signs to help demonstrate the need for a better education on April 18.

San Diego SCPA (San Diego) More than 100 students held a sit-in outside their school at lunch-time at this sunny San Diego school.

	Scripps Ranch High (El Dorado Hills) These students set up a table at lunch where students could learn more about the budget cuts, sign up for a budget advocacy club, and sign a petition protesting the cuts.

Thurgood Marshall Academic High (San Francisco) Students held a unity rally with other youth organizations focused on building relationships among their school community through activities such as Right To Learn.

	Ventura Community (Buena Vista High School) Students, state and local politicians, and educators spoke to more than 500 people who attended this community-wide rally.

A special group of little activists… While most Right To Learn actions took place at high schools, one kindergarten class took it upon themselves to participate. After discussing the important services that governmental money is needed to support, each student chose their favorite thing about school–teachers, books, the library, science supplies, etc.–and made signs or hats with drawings of that favorite thing.

If you want to learn more about Right To Learn, check out this list of newspaper stories and television reports about the Day of Action.

Congratulations to all of those who participated in this historic and awe-inspiring day.

There’s a lot more in store for Right To Learn and the fight against these cuts will continue into the fall, so stay tuned!

Send in your pictures, stories and videos

The Day of Action has finally arrived. Today, students across California will rally against more than $5 billion in proposed budget cuts to public schools.

As your school holds it action, please remember to send in photos and videos of yourselves collecting petitions, holding signs, speaking at rallies and doing everything else you do. You can submit photos and videos in one of two ways:

1. From your cell phone - Log into the Right To Learn site and look on your school’s page for your special “@veeker.com” e-mail address. Then follow these instructions to send us picture and video messages directly from your cell phone.
2. By e-mail - Log into the Right To Learn site and look on your school’s page for your special “@veeker.com” e-mail address. Just attach your photos or videos to an e-mail and send them to that e-mail address. (Only one photo or video per message, please!)

Please make sure to send in your pictures and video as soon as possible after (or even during) your event. All of the media submitted will be displayed in a slide show on the Right To Learn home page.

Good luck today!

In less than 24 hours…

Less than 24 hours from now, thousands of students will have stood up to demand that the state full fund its public schools and reject more than $5 billion in proposed budget cuts. This time tomorrow, you will have walked out, sat in, rallied, taught, signed petitions, slammed poetry and truly started a movement among your peers.

The commitment we have seen in each of you leading up to tomorrow’s Day of Action has been astounding. You have shown that students do care about their education, do pay attention to the news and do think their actions can make a difference. Those of us who have worked full-time on this campaign are impressed and humbled by the dedication of each and every one of you to this cause.

As you head out to school tomorrow, speak loudly and stand proudly behind the collective voice of more than 6 million students statewide. We are with you and support you every step of the way.

How would you solve the budget crisis?

Before all of the actions planned for Friday, we wanted to take a quick moment to ask you how you would solve the state’s fiscal crisis if you were in the Governor’s or Legislature’s shoes. Would you cut spending, raise taxes, or try to find another solution?

Think about it, take our poll, and expand on your response in the comments.

In the meantime, good luck on Friday and don’t forget to get in touch with us if you have any questions!

Just a few days left!

Only a few days remain until thousands of students across the state speak up to demand that Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature fully fund schools in California and reject nearly $5 billion in proposed budget cuts.

As we get closer to the Day of Action this Friday, here are a few things you can do to show your support:

1. Sign an electronic postcard to the Governor — Tell him why schools cannot withstand such a large budget cut
2. Try out our new upload tool — Learn how to upload pictures and video from your cell phone to Right To Learn on April 18
3. Promote your Day of Action — Use these PDF signs, official RTL logos, and other resources to promote your Day of Action event around your school

Some schools asking parents for funds

Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times wrote a great, yet saddening, column this morning about how his daughter’s school is now asking parents to make up the $180,000 that is expected to be cut from their budget next year.

“I feel more than a little lucky to live in a good neighborhood with a great public school that parents are passionate about,” Lopez writes. “At the same time, I can’t help but think about the impact of budget cuts at schools where there’s not a chance of parents raising anywhere near $180,000.”

Despite its faults, public education has been an equalizing force in the United States for generations. Efforts like these, while understandable, stand to further rub salt in the wounds of school funding inequality and expand the chasm between high-income and low-income schools.

Many schools can’t, or won’t, choose to tax their parents for what was supposed to be a free, high-quality education. They shouldn’t have to. Educating tomorrow’s leaders is a communal responsibility and something that needs to be fixed in the halls of the capitol in Sacramento.

Join with the Right To Learn Campaign in demanding that Governor Schwarzenegger and the legislature find a better solution to California’s budget crisis.

Petition circulating to save Prop 98

A new petition has been circulating online that calls for the Governor and legislature to preserve Proposition 98, California’s minimum school funding guarantee.

We strongly encourage everyone involved in Right To Learn to read more about Proposition 98 and sign the petition!

And, if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to sign up to lead or participate in a Day of Action on April 18!