Quick Facts: Education in California
1. A recent survey of public education called “Quality Counts 2009” shows California slipped to 47th in the nation in per-student funding. Adjusted for cost of living, California now spends $7,571 per student, compared to the national average of $9,963 per student.
2. Education spending has declined by 4% since Governor Schwarzenegger took office (after adjusting for cost of living & population growth) while spending on criminal justice has increased by 46%. “Where Did the Money Go?” Mercury News Feb 28, 2009
3. California has:
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a. The largest class sizes in the country.
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b. The greatest shortages of librarians, school nurses, counselors and other critical support staff.
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c. 30% less teachers, 61% less school site administrators, and 92% less counselors than typical U.S. schools. “Common Core of Data” National Center for Education Statistics 2004-05.
CA BUDGET CRISIS: PTA CALLS FOR ACTION
California PTA Legislative Alert: ACTION NEEDED
Please Phone, Email or Write our legislators! Tell them we stand up for children!
Who are our elected legislators: Find legislators by your ZIP code
California State Senate: CA Senate
California State Assembly: CA Assembly
Governor Schwarzenegger: www.gov.ca.gov
U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov
U.S. House of Representatives: www.house.gov
President Barack H. Obama: www.whitehouse.gov
Federal Education Agenda 09: www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education/
2 sample legislator letters: Letter to Senator Mark Wyland & Letter to Assembly Member Nathan Fletcher
UPCOMING EVENTS
Click to download flyer and directions
Ninth District PTA Summer Leadership Conference
June 6, 2009, University of San Diego
(more info coming soon)
LEGISLATION LINKS & ADDITIONAL INFO
California's Official Database of current California Law: California Law: Code & Section
THOMAS (Library of Congress) provides the full text of bills from the 101st Congress (1989) to the present. Conduct fielded searches by bill number, sponsor, word or phrase. You can also browse a sequential list of all bills and resolutions.
