Millikan - Save Our School

we recommend following us on facebook, twitter and reading the latest from here. Looking to help spread the word? Go to educateourstate.org to download the one page flyer for the "Let Us Vote!" campaign. Need more information about Educate Our State? Visit the "What do we stand for" tab. Gov. Brown's 2011 budget must close an estimated $25.4 billion shortfall.

2. The Governor's plan is to cut spending by approx. $12.5 billion and generate another approx. $12 billion by renewing a tax extension that is set to expire on July 1, 2011.

3. What's the problem? We won't get a chance to show our support for the tax extension unless the California State Legislature approves, by a full 2/3rds, sending the vote to the people. All we want is the right to "Let Us Vote!" and decide how we want our money spent.

4. What happens if we aren't given the right to vote and we don't renew the existing taxes? We have an all-cuts budget. What does an all-cuts budget look like? Public Education (K-12) will be hit the hardest with cuts of upwards of $5 billion. That translates into roughly $800/child in public school. A school with 500 children = $400,000 cut! What does $400,000 look like at your school? Massive teacher layoffs? Enormous class sizes? Increased furlough days? Decimation of enrichment programming? No support staff? It means cuts to everything that you love about your school and its community. Action Alert: "Let Us Vote!" Campaign Get your email letters in by mid-March! ACTION ALERT: The "Let Us Vote!" Campaign to save public education funding needs your voice today! The Governor's budget for K-12 public education assumes an extension of temporary taxes for another five years. These taxes are set to expire on July 1, 2011 unless the citizens of California vote to extend them. It's easy, only a few clicks to send a prewritten email letter at http://www.educateourstate.org/what-you-can-do.php. Here's the good news, we're not alone. There are lots and lots of people helping fight for high-quality public education in California. Here's the not-quite-so-good news, we have a long road ahead of us and a lot of work to be done. What can you do? Consider writing a Letter to the Editor

Your opinion counts and people will listen! We've put together a quick one pager at educateourstate.org to help guide you in writing a successful Letter to the Editor, here. Why a letter? Well people read them. Yep, every single day folks just like you flip to the back of the main news section and read what other people have to say (or they look on-line, but that's beside the point). And, guess what? People listen. Because the letters are written by people just like you; see a sample letter here. People write with a personal experience to share or the side of a story that isn't being told. We encourage you to respond to a newspaper article about public education, the lack of funding or the need for change. Trust us; once you've been published you'll be addicted. Just make sure to email us and let us know about your successes. Here are some other ideas

Over a cup of coffee

Join educateourstate.org on facebook and and twitter and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on issues and actions being taken by us, and others, on behalf of California Public Education. This includes a few events we'll be throwing, where you can meet like-minded people in your own community. Instead of watching an hour of bad reality TV (ok, guilty pleasure)

Read up on the issues facing California's public schools on our favorite website, EdSource. One could get lost for hours reading about Title 1, revenue limits, categoricals and the effect of Prop. 13. Have a bit more time? Download our recommended primer on California Public Education. Can't sleep at night and feel the need to speak out? We recommend the legislation pages on the California PTA website. They have up-to-the-minute information on legislation under consideration in Sacramento related to Public Education. You can also use the links on the right hand side of their page to find your legislator and send them an email about what it is that is keeping you up (this assumes it relates to Public Education; if it doesn't then please email at your own risk.) What we're doing in our "spare time"

In addition to all the other actions being taken, two "adequacy" lawsuits have been filed against the State of California demanding an overhaul to the K-12 Public Education system, including requiring adequate funding for all. Educate Our State supports these long-term approaches and hopes that our legislators will see the writing on the wall and take action before the legal system requires it. Two of our founding members have children as plaintiffs in the Adequacy Funding Lawsuit filed by the Campaign for Quality Education (Campaign for Quality Education, et. al., v. California). Learn more at www.FairSchoolsNow.org. To learn about the other lawsuit filed visit www.FixSchoolFinance.org.