Tuesday saw a flurry of activity at the LAUSD headquarters. The school board voted 5 to 2 to implement severe budget cuts that will send pink slips to 2500 district teachers and thousands of school workers throughout Los Angeles county. The increase in class size and the reduction in individual attention is generally viewed by all parties as a tragedy in an already scholastic dismal environment where as many as 50 % of students drop out yearly.
AJ Duffy spoke to the board remphasizing the UTLA's position on the 2500 teacher layoffs.
Superintendent Ramon Cortinez spoke of his proposal to levy of a parcel tax.
This type of tax is being used as way to re-localize tax revenue for California school districts in the wake of 1978's Proposition 13, whose strictures essentially caused property value taxes to be distributed by the state and thus relieving local districts of any real power of funding discretion. Since Prop 13 was also limited to 1 percent of assed value the amount flowing from property value tax was greatly diminished.
Parcel taxes are uniform and not based on property value thus getting around Prop 13.
For an explanation of the parcel tax in California ....
The Parcel Tax
Eric J. Brunner
San Diego State University
http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/ejbrunner/research/ptax.pdf In the school board vote, Julie Korenstein was one of the two dissenting voices. She stated " The revenue system in the state of California for public education has to be fixed "
Outside of the council chambers as Marlene Canter was being feted for her work on the board, a moving protest was being undertaken by members of CADRE who made good use of bright colors and duct tape.
For more on this South Central activist organization.
http://www.cadre-la.org/ The hunger strike is still being waged by Judith, Yolanda and Milagros of the Cuauhtemoc dance group.
For more info on Judith and Yolanda Cuauhtemoc
Indymedia article
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2009/06/228540.php Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc - National Page
dancuauhtemoc@yahoo.com For info on the Original Hunger Strikers
Hungry4 Education Website
http://www.netvibes.com/lahungry4ed#General UTLA Website
http://www.utla.net/ The address of the protest is...
LAUSD headquarters
333 South Beaudry
Ave., Los Angeles, California 90017
Google Map
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=LAUSD