Teachers at Lake Elsinore’s Earl Warren Elementary took to the streets after school Wednesday waving signs and passing out flyers.
Teachers at Lake Elsinore’s Earl Warren Elementary took to the streets after school Wednesday waving signs and passing out flyers. (Michelle Mears-Gerst/SWRNN)
The organized rally formed to educate parents and public on two initiatives placed on the November ballot.
With signs that read “Yes on 30” and “Kids are number one,” close to 20 educators marched around the school letting parents know where they stand on ballot initiatives 30 and 32.
“We are supporting Proposition 30, and are against Prop. 32,” said Bill Cavanaugh, president of the Lake Elsinore Teacher Association. “We want parents to be informed on how we hope they will vote come November.”
Proposition 30 is a proposed tax hike that Gov. Jerry Brown has reported as saying is the state’s best hope for salvaging its cash-strapped education system.
If passed the constitutional amendment would generate an estimated $6 billion annually for the next seven years on wages of more than $250,000. It also would raise the sales tax by a quarter percent for four years.
“The average middle class family will only see an increase in taxes of $40 a year,” said Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh said he was told at the last school board meeting if Prop. 30 does not pass schools will have 15 furlough days next year and laying off 60 teachers.
Sandy Smolinski a speech therapist at Earl Warren Elementary said, “Spending $40 more a year in taxes is a small price to pay for restoring a complete school year and having smaller class sizes.”
Smolinski admits voting yes on Proposition 30 will not guarantee smaller class sizes but thinks it is the best chance they have.
“I am out here making sure parents are clear on where we stand on these issues,” said Smolinksi.
Proposition 32 also known as the “paycheck protection initiative if approved will ban both corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates, ban contributions by government contractors to the politicians who control contracts awarded to them and ban automatic deductions by corporations, unions, and government of employees’ wages to be used for politics.
“Proposition 32 is deceptive,” said Cavanaugh. “Teachers can already opt out to have due fees given to political candidates.”
With horns honking and parents welcoming the information being passed out, first grade teacher Teresa Garcia was energized waving her signs.
“My approach is we are in this for the kids,” said Garcia. “We need smaller class sizes.”
Cavanaugh said teachers would be holding more rallies on October and a phone bank to educate voters.
Michelle Mears-Gerst is a local writer and regular contributor to SWRNN.
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This is the one-two-punch; First; If you silence unions, there IS no other organization out there that protects workers. Second; corporate special interests will come after your job; by making or repealing laws like collective bargaining, Davis-Bacon, retirement, apprenticeship and institute right to work for less legislation. You’ll see your wages cut in half, benefits and working conditions disappear overnight. And the union wouldn’t even be able to inform you that this was happening.
Give me one other organization that fights for worker’s rights.
If this was to hurt the big corporate interest why are they the ones putting money into this campaign to pass? The Koch bros., Carl Rove, big oil companies, and insurance companies, wall street bankers and developers. That’s because they are all exempt from Prop 32.
Labor rights aren’t etched in stone. They were won through politics and collective bargaining. So if you’re the 99% that have to work for a living say, “good bye” to, vacation leave, health insurance, 8 hour work day, minimum wage, work place health and safety laws, overtime pay, unemployment, child labor laws, meal breaks, nurse patient ratios just to name a few. Screw 32 vote NO
If the unions support it the voter should not period. We have been pouring money down the black hole called education for years and it has produced NOTHING! We always hear that it’s “for the children” but the reality is that it is about protecting their own gold plated benefits. I you spent 20 plus years in the military the retirement benefits you get are pathetic compared to the union thugs in this state. Yes on any proposition that the unions are against and no on any that the unions support.
Congratulations to these teachers for taking a stand in support of their students. Without the passage of proposition 30, the current proposals to “fix” the California budget will automatically cut the school budgets in January. The biggest impact will be shortening the year from 184 days to 160 days. This equates to 5 weeks less instructional days for all of California’s children. Loss of revenue for salaries will result in up to 70-80 local teachers losing their jobs with the majority of these cuts happening in the elementary grades. If proposition 30 fails class size reduction will disappear increasing the critical K – 3 classes to 32-33 students. Proposition 30 is NOT about unions. Proposition 30 is NOT about teachers. Proposition 30 is about kids and learning. By adding a mere 25 cents to a $100.00 receipt cuts are avoided and we maintain the already underfunded status quo. VOTE YES ON 30!