MARK LENO STANDS UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION!

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (7/22/09)


The C.L.A.E.R. Project
1099 Sunnydale Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94134
415-333-3017
www.claerproject.org
www.theclaerproject.blogspot.com
TWITTER: TheCLAERProject



CONTACTS
*Sharen Hewitt 415-724-4797
*Laurel Moeslein 415-333-3017
*Malia Cohen 415-218-1719
*Caleb Lim 925-405-2224


C.L.A.E.R supports Mark Leno’s Stance Against Budget Cuts On Education


C.L.A.E.R commends Senator Mark Leno for being a beacon of hope for public education in this tenuous state budget process. We know that the bulwark of democracy finds its foundation on education. Moreover, it is a significant issue that touches every state constituent. Despite of our state’s substantial education budget, the invested tax dollars have indeed yielded dividend; as we prime our state as the sixth largest economy in the world. We appreciate your effort in trying to mitigate some of the damage that the governor has proposed, so we won’t witness series of educational programs being reduced to none. The most pressing issue is the low-income areas such as Sunnydale have less than adequate schools and educational opportunities. These conditions have become more common across the U.S. An increase in this area is correlated to the increase in prisoners, unemployment, and dropout rates. If these young people were given the same opportunities as middle and upper income children, they would have other options and better choices to make.

A lot of our residents here upgrade themselves through community colleges. Community College itself is the more affordable venue for them to advance more quickly in the quest for advancing their social status. With the budget cuts, the colleges will also be forced to offer fewer courses and increased its fee during the summer. The Los Angeles Community College District, with nine campuses, is no longer offering a second summer session. One East LA campus already has 10,000 students enrolled. College of the Desert (COD), a community college in Palm Desert, will face $4.7 million in cuts through 2010, the deepest in the school’s 47-year history. With an annual budget of $40 million, the cuts represent a 10 percent decrease in the school’s funds. Funding for school counseling and student services will be cut by 73 percent.
College students will especially feel the pain as more than 200,000 incoming students will lose most or all tuition assistance under the Cal Grant program. Cal Grants help students to enroll in a public or private university by offering financial assistance as long as they meet grade-point-average requirements and are residents of the state. They can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, and, unlike student loans, they do not need to be paid back.
New grants for students attending college will be rescinded and existing grants to already enrolled students will be significantly reduced. By 2011, Cal Grants will be completely phased out.

We acknowledge the unprecedented $24 billion budget deficit, and our constituents have had lots of concerns about the state’s budget crisis. To address some of these concerns, it is imperative to gather support from all organizations. We will urge our friends, allies, and family members to join this Administration, Board of Supervisors, and State legislators to intensify their commitment and efforts to strive for more funding on education.

Lastly, C.L.A.E.R. would like participate in these efforts so that we will earn back our privilege to education. Indeed, education is a necessity of life; it is a social function; it is a direction; and it is growth. Just like Plato had said, “Without education, democracy passes into despotism. Surely, I said, knowledge is the food of the soul.” We pray that through education the creative doors will be available for our next generations to cherish and to bring forth the possibilities of even greater talents to our future.


Sincerely,


-Sharen Hewitt, Executive Director, the C.L.A.E.R. Project