Missing: One Public Outcry

Our governor, in concert with the California state legislature, has announced an unprecedented $4.8 billion dollars in funding cuts for education. The day this happened, I waited for the outcry but it never came.

Are we so overwhelmed by big numbers that $4.8 billion dollars means nothing to us? Are we so complacent that the mere idea of such a shortfall, in the world's eighth largest economy, means nothing? Are we so used to the appalling mismanagement of public money by elected officials that we barely yawn before flipping the channel to something more "interesting?"

We were collectively appalled by budget cuts to public health. The remedy, say public health officials, is to cut back on public health services. We were indignant when the governor threatened to close down state parks. Several media outlets carried the story of the Will Rogers family threatening to take the park back if such a thing happened. Then it was quietly announced that the state would merely increase admission fees to state parks. No cuts in services needed.

Other state services will also feel the knife. It stands to reason that cuts in services will occur or prices for such services will be raised. There will be grumbling, perhaps, if not an outcry.

What about public education? Where is the outcry for the 107,000 layoff notices being printed for almost a third of California's teachers? I am not hearing it.

Public schools cannot cut services. We are mandated to give each and every child who arrives at our schools a free and appropriate public education. We do not charge admission. We don’t invoice for the countless extra hours devoted to students and their families. School employees never begrudge providing that most basic gift of an enlightened society: an education. We take our students in, we care about them, and we teach them.

So, California’s mismanaged state budget will be balanced on the backs California's teachers, auxiliary staff, and school children. Teachers and remaining classified staff will be expected to shoulder an increased workload - adding hours to the typical 9-12 hour day. More family and personal time will be spent grading student work, planning lessons, preparing and evaluating assessments, and completing progress reports. (Contrary to popular opinion, the school day does not end when the students leave.) There will be more extra-duty assignments, more committees, more meetings, and more mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. Why? Because most teachers are not satisfied with "good enough" and will continue to work harder than expected in order to give our children the best.

What about our students? Do you think an increase in class size won't affect them? Think again. This isn't the good old days when most discipline problems were handled at home and the parental rank and file stood firmly behind the teacher when a student misbehaved. This is the era of entitlement and litigation. This is the era of parents defending what the previous generation would have called abhorrent and abysmal behavior - sometimes at all costs.

An increase in class size means the likelihood of behavior issues directly impacting the quality of the education of every child in that classroom. Time spent dealing with inappropriate, rude, and disrespectful behavior will be at the expense of quality instruction. This means less time teaching and less time learning. The research is clear on this one, folks: Time spent learning is important. The quality of instruction is critical.

My school district has three schools. We stand to lose 29 teachers, according to the worst-case scenario put forth by our superintendent. Wilsona Elementary School has, through hard work and extreme commitment, raised its Academic Performance Index (API) to an unprecedented 762. This means that Wilsona Elementary, a Title 1 school that serves at at-risk and geographically isolated community, is ranked #10 in the Antelope Valley. Almost half our student body does not speak English as a native language. All of our students qualify for free lunch.

Now, we will be punished for doing an outstanding job. Along with every other public school in California, we will lose a third of our staff, be required to shoulder a disproportionate share of the collective burden, and be expected to maintain this API score with no additional assistance forthcoming.

I keep waiting for the outcry. I pray it is brewing into the “perfect storm” of common sense and a re-evaluation of fiscal and ethical priorities.