New Haven Education Supporters Rally in Favor of Tax Extension

Members of the were up early this morning to sound an alarm for voters this morning.

District staff, representatives from the California Teachers Association and education supporters gathered for a press conference at at 6:30 a.m. to speak about the detrimental effects the state budget will have on the education system if both a local tax measure and the governor’s proposed tax extensions fail.

If neither is approved, the district expects to face a deficit of more than $10.2 million. To prepare for budget cuts, the school district issued layoff notices to more than 65 district personnel, most of whom are teachers, said district spokesperson Rick La Plante.

The deadline for districts statewide to issue pink slips is today. It doesn't mean all the positions will be cut, but districts are required to notify teachers who potentially could lose their jobs.

“We’ve already been cut to the bone,” said Eric Heins, a CTA board member who represents Contra Costa County and most of Alameda County.

According to Heins, more than 2,800 layoff notices have been issued this year in the greater Bay Area. That number may increase by the end of the day, he said.

“The unnerving part is that it’s been multiple years they’ve been receiving layoff notices,” Heins said. “This year, we don’t have federal stimulus money (to stop layoffs).”

This is the second year in a row that Quyen Tran has received a pink slip. A kindergarten teacher at , this year Tran fears she won’t be rehired, which will have a tremendous impact on her life more than ever before. Tran is six months pregnant.

“This year, there’s no money to fall back on,” Tran said.

Layoffs are issued based on seniority, said Tran, who has worked in the district since 2006. Her chances of being rehired are slim as teachers hired in 2001 are receiving pink slips, she said.

“There are more people in the pool,” Tran said.

On March 1, the district approved a number of cuts as a result of budget constraints. In addition to the more than 65 district employees receiving pink slips, the , which employs nine teachers and 31 temporary credentialed teachers, would be .

The district layoffs also include three library media specialists at , and . The district would close all of the libraries.

According to Carla Colburn, a librarian at , that means  about 7,000 students will return next school year without access to all of the books sitting on the shelves.

“Many of our students don’t have the resources at home,” Colburn said “The decisions [the state Legislature is] making…are going to affect an entire generation of our young citizens.”

This morning's event, held in one of the libraries scheduled for closure, was part of a statewide day of action by the CTA, which represents the teachers union, to urge lawmakers to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal.

In January, Brown proposed putting a measure on a June special election ballot asking voters to approve a set of three tax extensions slated to expire on June 30. Brown has said that the extensions will help offset the $12 billion in cuts that affect mostly schools and welfare programs. 

However, the Legislature has yet to approve the special election measure. The original deadline for the vote was March 10.

“Trust the people of the state and let them vote on the temporary taxes,” said Don Dawson, a CTA board member and a teacher in San Jose’s East Side Union High School District.

NHUSD's fate also hinges on the approval of Measure B, a local $180 parcel tax that hopes to generate $3 million a year for the next four years. The funds would preserve instructional time, maintain after-school activities and minimize class size increases.

After today's press conference, teachers and Measure B supporters planned to pass out informational leaflets to parents at all schools, according to Charmaine Kawaguchi, president of the New Haven Teachers Association.

“We’ll continue to fight this fight,” Kawaguchi told the teachers at the end of the meeting.