February 26, 2008

Dear Chabot Community: 

By now you have probably heard about Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts that would severely impact the quality of education in California’s public schools.  Oakland residents just passed Measure G this month, making it clear that the quality of education in high on our list of priorities.  We cannot let these proposed cuts effectively wipe out the commitment we just made to our children’s education.  These cuts are not yet a done deal, and your advocacy can make a difference and help to preserve public education.

Please read on below to find out what OUSD has to say about how these cuts will impact education in the state and in Oakland specifically.  Also please take 5 minutes to review the action steps that you can take to send a message to your elected officials advocating for the quality of our children’s education.   We have included a sample letter, which you can use as-is or personalize as you like.

Sincerely,

Tamara Morrish, PTA President

Read what OUSD has to say about these cuts

WHAT CAN I DO?
We all agree that the proposed cuts to California’s education funding are a travesty. Deciding how to prevent this nightmare scenario from becoming reality is less obvious. With that in mind, here are some ways you can work with your community to stress the importance of education, lobby for long-term changes in school finance and stop the budget cuts before they become law.

Action steps:

1. Submit a letter to your local newspaper condemning the budget cuts.

2. Contact your state senator and assembly member and ask them to fight for education funding. Feel free to include examples of how the budget cuts would impact your school and Oakland Unified as a whole.

3. Contact your local elected officials (see contact list below) and ask them to speak out against the injustice of across-the-board budget cuts. Even though local officials may not have a vote on the issue, they can use their platform to create and intensify public pressure against these measures.

4. Write and call the Governor and other elected officials to protect school funding.

5. Speak to your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family or community organizations and ask for their support in voicing concern about the budget cuts.

Sample Parent Letter [PDF Version]

Sample Parent Letter [MS Word Version]

Legislative Contacts [PDF Version]

Legislative Contacts [MS Word Version]