All over California "Save Our School" rallies were held Wednesday including three in San Diego.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to plug a $19.9 billion hole in the state budget by cutting close to $2.4 billion in school funding.
Teachers and parents want the state legislature to reject the governor's proposed budget cuts. According to the website California Advocates United to Save Education, the threat of these cuts means action.
"While we have been working long and hard to stop these cuts, we can't do it alone," said Allan Clark, president of the 220,000-member California School Employees Association (CSEA) said in a news release. "California's children have suffered enough. It's time to save public education, and to do that we need more people in our communities to speak up."
The group asked elected officials to sign commitment cards to show their commitment to funding education in California.
State Rep. Mary Salas signed the pledge.
Among those listed as the group’s “Education No-Shows” are State Reps. Marty Block, Nathan Fletcher, Lori Saldana, Joel Anderson, Martin Garrick and Diane Harkey along with State Sens. Christine Kehoe, Denise Moreno Ducheny, Dennis Hollingsworth and Mark Wyland.
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“While other state programs are facing severe cuts and even eliminations, the Governor drew the line at education," said the governor's spokesperson Andrea McCarthy. "His May Revise protects education and maintains funding for schools at approximately the same level as last year. Out of an $83 billion budget, education is getting $47 billion.”
Rallies are scheduled from Merced to San Diego Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
One is planned for the County Office of Education in Linda Vista. Another will be held in Carlsbad at the corner of Palomar Airport Road and Paseo Del Norte. A rally will also be held at El Cajon Valley Middle School.
