AFT/CFT statement on new budget 2014-15

AFT 

California Federation of Teachers

American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO



For Immediate Release Contact: Fred Glass

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 510-579-3343, fglass@cft.org



A Good Budget, But More Needed for Struggling Families

Statement from CFT President Joshua Pechthalt



“Overall, there’s plenty to like in the 2014-2015 state budget passed recently by the California legislature – funding for early education and career technical programs for our high schools. Putting a limit on K-12 district budget reserves is also a wise decision.”



“But there’s still far too many educational programs and classroom needs that didn’t receive adequate funding this time around. California still ranks at or near the bottom in per pupil spending, class size average and number of librarians, nurses and counselors. Though the state’s improved finances this budget cycle are largely due to the adoption of Prop 30 and the public’s willingness to tax higher income earners to fund state services, our education system continues to reel from years of devastating cuts due to the Great Recession.” 



“Now that the economy is on the mend, we would like to see more permanent revenue streams put in place, such as the recent oil extraction tax legislation that would have raised $2 billion annually. We also need to rethink the state’s rainy day fund. I have said publicly, we need a program of reinvestment, not austerity. As responsible citizens, we must continue to do everything we can to reclaim the promise of public education.”





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The California Federation of Teachers represents faculty and classified workers in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. For more information, www.cft.org.


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