Logging in to Ed Week I was shocked to see a photo of a teacher in California being led out of the state capitol in Sacramento in handcuffs! California, like Oregon, is faced with tremendous budget cuts. These teachers, after a week of protests, have bravely decided to take a stand. Teachers are asking state lawmakers to increase taxes to stave off drastic cuts to education. I was particularly touched by the dedication and comments of Beverly Gonzalez, one of the five 2011 California Teachers of the Year. She described teachers as the "silent funders of education". She described how she and other teachers purchase supplies like paper, pencils, and playground balls for recess with their own money. Ms. Gonzalez also offers five hours of extra tutoring each week in order to help her fourth and fifth grade students. She also stated that teachers are asked to solve all kinds of problems from childhood obesity, to English language learning and meeting state standards. She said she loves her job, but it is becoming a situation where she has to make a choice between paying her bills or teaching. Many are calling the current funding crisis in California a "state of emergency". Education needs stable, secure funding. My impression from reading Ed Week is that there is not a state or school district in the entire country that is not in financial turmoil at the moment. Having attended several school board meetings and a budget hearing, I can say first-hand that schools in Salem also seem to be in crisis.
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