Deukmejian’s Education Budget

I write this letter with restrained anger about your editorials (Jan. 8) “Taking the Lead” and (Jan. 11) “Sleepy Future.” The editorials both boil down to two main items: Gov. George Deukmejian’s budget is not giving education its due, and the Gann initiative, which sets limits on educational spending.

Thank goodness, Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig is not afraid to speak out. The “Sleepy Future” editorial points out that public education needs $750 million this fiscal year, but the governor is only alloting 20% of that. The editorial continues that we’ll be sliding back to 1983, when educational reforms first started. When Honig calls this a disaster for education--that’s a mild word. It’s an absolute “Catastrophic Reversal” of where education should be going.

As your editorial points out, we are such a wealthy state and yet we spend so little on the most important product in the world--the education of our young people. New York spends $2,100 more per year for each student than California does. According to Honig, California still ranks No. 42 in the nation on per-capita spending for public education. We should be ashamed that we have allowed this to happen.

As an English teacher at Cleveland High School with 31 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I see the continuous battle that teachers go through to receive a raise each year. Your editorial states that more money should be set aside in the budget for teacher salaries and other educational improvements. The L.A. district is offering a 7% raise, and the teachers want 14%. Frankly, I think teachers deserve at least an 18% raise when you take into account all the years in which other people got raises and we didn’t.

This time the district can’t say the money isn’t there, because it is. The district is saying that it has the money but there are other priorities that are more important. How in the world can the L.A. district expect to attract new teachers when this begging goes on year after year? These future new potential teachers read the newspapers and many of them decide to go into other professions. If the L.A. teachers want to get what they deserve, they may have to strike in order to get it. I personally am ready to strike if it’s the only way to get an equitable raise.

I urge the public to get the facts about this proposed budget by Deukmejian and do some serious thinking. Don’t let the Duke’s budget undercut education. The ones who will really suffer are the young people of this state who deserve the best education possible. Don’t let this happen. If you really and truly love young people like I do, write the governor and let him know how you feel.

ED RASKY

Canoga Park