This e-mail went out to members on Friday, January 30. If you are not receiving these e-mails from MDEA, please let us know and give us your e-mail address so that we can include you in future communication.
Dear Members,
As you know, we still don’t have a settled State budget, and if the Governor’s proposed budget is passed as is, public education will be taking catastrophic cuts. His plan would reduce funding midyear for 2008-09 by 2.1 billion dollars. His plan would reduce funding in 2009-10 by 2.8 billion dollars, for an overall cumulative revenue limit deficit that will climb to over 16%.
We also are anticipating a significant increase in the number of layoff notices this year with the strong possibility that tens of thousands of May 15 layoff letters will be sent out by districts statewide. In past years, Mt. Diablo has had a lot of March 15, notifications go out, but relatively few actual layoffs. That may not be the case this year. MDEA will be holding informational meetings for our members who receive a layoff notices to inform them about the process and their right to a hearing.
There is a statewide campaign being developed to educate our members and to plan actions to publicize the devastating impact of the state budget on public schools and the students we serve. Attached are names and contact numbers of state legislators we need to lobby, and talking points on what to say. These legislators need to hear teachers’ stories of the effects these cuts would have on our students and our families. Please make some calls. You will also be receiving a hard copy of the contact information next week.
A lot of our members don’t believe there is a real crisis. There is! The solutions our legislators have used in the past, won’t work anymore. We have a revenue problem. The massive cuts to education are real. We need to act now; we have not faced a situation like this since the 70’s when Prop 13 was passed.
Parcel Tax in MDUSD
There is a committee looking into the possibility of putting a parcel tax on the special election ballot when the Governor calls one, possibly in June. MDEA’s Executive Board has already recommended that the Rep Assembly endorse a parcel tax, if one is brought forward.
Currently, polling is being done to help identify for which purposes, and in what amount, MDUSD's communities would support a parcel tax. After analyzing this data, a specific proposal will be prepared. This process requires completion by Feb 15; therefore, we will not be considering whether to endorse a parcel tax at the February Rep Assembly. MDEA doesn’t want to rush this issue until we know the specifics. We want all our members to fully understand the proposal, because it will require everyone’s hard work and support to pass a parcel tax.
MDEA will ensure that our members are fully informed of any new information on the parcel tax, as we receive it. Discussion of a parcel tax will be on the agenda for the February Rep Assembly. We will be asking our Reps to listen to any concerns or questions that come up from sites, and report out at our March R.A. MDEA has been highly involved and included in all aspects of the parcel tax process thus far, and that involvement will continue if the R.A. votes to endorse a parcel tax effort. Attend your site’s MDEA meeting next month to learn the latest.
Mt. Diablo has not had a parcel tax in many years but, in the current economic crisis, we will need one to preserve a quality education for our students.
Mike
