SANTA CLARITA VALLEY EDUCATION COALITION

“School district board members, administrators, teachers, employees, parents and community leaders acting as individual entities lobbying the state for education funding that maintains the current mandated system.”

The SCV Education Coalition is composed of educational leaders, teachers and employees from the four elementary school districts, Castaic, Newhall, Saugus and Sulphur Springs and from the William S. Hart High School District in collaboration with the efforts of College of the Canyons from the community college district. Recent studies indicate that California funding is inadequate and schools in Santa Clarita rank among the lowest funded in Los Angeles County, the Governor’s proposed budget reductions would make a bad situation even worse. The Governor’s proposal of a $4.4 billion cut to school funding is fundamentally inconsistent with the state’s goal of improving student achievement. For the education community of the Santa Clarita Valley, the reduction in revenue amounts to $25 million. Our schools have proven to have some of the highest achievement records and strongest intervention programs; this loss limits our ability to adequately fund and maintain our high standards.

The possibility of losing highly qualified teachers and the likely increase in class size will severely compromise the vision the parents and educational community have set forth in the Santa Clarita Valley. In addition our most challenged and vulnerable students will run the risk of losing a support system that provides special education aides, reading specialists, counselors and other support personnel. We respectively request strong consideration be given to flexibility in class size and waivers for mandates.

The success of a community is sustained by the students it educates and nurtures to become leaders, responsible citizens and productive members of the workforce. Jeopardizing the public education system will have immediate and long term effects compromising the health and well being of our Valley.

Potential results from budgets cuts include:

•    Reduction in Staff

•    Increased Class Size

•    Lost Programs (i.e. music, library, physical education, after school enrichment, summer school)

•    Transportation Cuts