Rallying support for education dollars

Suzie Harrison

Members of the Laguna Beach school community took a stand for

education Tuesday and staged a noisy protest at Main Beach, joining

thousands in a countywide rally to speak out against Gov. Arnold

Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to the state education budget.

Laguna Beach Unified Faculty Association president Dave Dixon said

the rally was coordinated with teachers’ associations across Orange

County who planned to demonstrate from 4 to 5 p.m. on that day.

“We’re asking Orange County residents to help us resist the

governor’s proposals for education, especially to support [the tenets

of] Proposition 98,” Dixon said. “We have people here from all over

the community -- school board members, teachers, parents and

children. It’s a great community-wide effort.”

Propostion 98 was passed by California voters in 1988. It

constitutionally guarantees a minimum level of funding for K-12

schools and community colleges.

Last year, the governor, trying to balance the state’s budget,

“borrowed” $2 billion of Proposition 98 dollars slated for education

spending. The governor promised the money would be available this

year, but the funds were not restored.

Now Schwarzenegger wants to alter the tenets of Proposition 98 so

more of the state’s revenues will be available for uses other than

education.

Decked out in orange to show county unity, the Laguna Beach

education community held protest signs and chanted “save our

schools.”

“We support all the school districts in California,” Supt. Theresa

Daem said. “We’re here because we want the governor to understand how

important it is to support educators in all of California.”

Car horns sounded and people cheered, showing their support as the

protesters waved signs reading: “Protect our schools,” “Support our

schools’ future,” “Protect Prop 98; protect students.”

The message was clear.

“We want the governor to meet with the educators and really

understand,” Daem said. “I think if he does, he’ll change his

position.”

Disconcerted, school board President Jan Vickers shook her head.

“What really disturbs me is he agreed to a plan. And to renege on

a plan -- it’s not done in good faith,” Vickers said. “Teachers

agreed to give up the money last year in good faith. It doesn’t set a

good example; they agreed and now they’re backing out of the

agreement.”

El Morro Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Marshall Klapman

said he was there to protest the governor’s agenda.

“It’s not good for the schools or the students,” Klapman said. “We

want to keep it in the forefront with a peaceful protest, not

anti-Schwarzenegger, but pro-school, teachers and what’s best for the

kids.”

This was the first rally in Laguna to call attention to these

issues, but district officials and supporters have joined other

county demonstrations.