Mothers lead protest against Schwarzenegger school cuts

About 100 parents, mostly mothers, gathered near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this morning to protest potential cuts to education funding.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget contains about $4.8 billion in education cuts this year and next, and school districts throughout the state have issued preliminary layoff notices to employees, cut programs and closed schools to prepare for the shortfall.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, which expects to lose about $460 million in funding next year, is scheduled to issue a revised budget later this month that will specify cuts, and parents are concerned that their children’s educations could suffer.

A group of mothers from Castle Heights Elementary School in the Beverlywood neighborhood organized the protest, which attracted parents from throughout the city, including actress Patricia Arquette.

The crowd waved signs saying, “Just Say No to Education Cuts,” and cheered whenever a driver honked a horn.

“We’re understanding the very real ramifications and there’s got to be a way to let the legislators know we’re not for the cuts,” said Victoria Hurley, whose son attends Castle Heights.

jason.song@latimes.com

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