Legislation & Education Advocacy
Speak up for children and families
July 10,
2009: State budget negotiations continue in Sacramento, and education and
children's services continue to face the threat of drastic cuts.
Recently,
the Governor proposed suspending Proposition 98, the voter-approved
Constitutional funding guarantee for K-12 education and community colleges.
California State PTA opposes suspending the funding guarantee. Click
here to read more
Educating California: Choices for the Future
June 2009: The bad news is that California
is facing a “skills gap” - a shortage of college graduates - that threatens its
economic future. But the good news is that modest improvements in college
enrollment, community college transfers, and the college completion rate,
particularly in the California State University system, could help to narrow
that gap substantially. These improvements will not only help California’s young
adults succeed in an increasingly high-skill economy but will also benefit the
state by increasing tax revenues and allowing for greater economic growth.
Read more here
Ever wonder how Proposition 98 works?
It's widely believed in the Capitol that no more than five or six people truly
understand how Proposition 98, the 21-year-old, voter-approved state school
finance law, truly works.
Read more here...
Be an advocate for your
child's education
To advocate
is to be a proponent. Being interested, involved and inquisitive when your child
enters school is an example of advocacy. Advocacy builds stronger schools.
Communicate
with everyone involved in your child's education, including your child.
Become
aware of the issues your child faces every day in the classroom.
Ask your
child. Find out what your child likes about school, and how your child feels
about a typical day at school.
Talk to
your child's teacher. A teacher may have insights you do not have about your
child. Share your insights too!
Be positive.
If you suspect there is a problem, ask for the teacher's input. Finding
answers may take time.
Is your child
struggling? Research. Speak with your child's doctor, browse book stores,
libraries, and the internet for valid information, i.e., California PTA
www.capta.org, National PTA
www.pta.org, and California Department of
Education www.cde.ca.gov.
Speak with
other parents, their children might be having similar experiences. Attend
parent education evenings.
Volunteer
in the classroom, on field trips; attend school events and meetings. You will
learn how your school and school district educates and supports your child.
Knowledge is the key to
success. The more you know the better advocate you can be for your child's
positive school experience and academic achievement.
School district revenue
Have you
ever wondered about the grand total of all the revenue a school district has?
About how much it spends on the direct instruction of students? About its
average teacher's salary compared to the statewide average?
Today Ed-Data debuts a brand new, easy-to-understand set
of reports -- "Financial Reports for District" -- for all California school
districts and county offices of education on
http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us. Beginning with the
2003-04 school year, these reports begin to tap into the full financial
reporting capability of California's Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS).
Just select a school district and use the pull-down menu to open "Financial
Reports for District." Similar information is also available for County Offices
of Education on the county level. Until the 2004-05 data is posted, change the
year to 2003-04 to find the "Intro" that describes the structure of the reports.
This first release provides new perspectives on 2003-04 data (2004-05 will be
released soon). The financial information long available on Ed-Data has been
expanded and enhanced to reflect restricted and unrestricted revenues and
expenditures. The new All Funds tab goes beyond the General Fund to give you a
full picture of your district's revenues and expenditures, including capital
projects. Another tab focuses on General Fund expenditures by activity, such as
instruction or specific pupil services. To help you understand the data, the
individual items have explanatory links to the California School Accounting
Manual.
You can use the pull-down menu again to view the new, robust "Compare District
Finances." New functionality allows you to compare your selected district to
similar ones based on a number of criteria, such as revenue limits and beginning
teacher salaries. Or you can search for the "highest" or "lowest" districts,
again on criteria of your choosing.
You might also like to look at the updated comparison of California to the other
states. Just click on "How California Compares" on the home page.
This week in Washington
Learn about what's happening on Capitol Hill, and about legislative issues that
affect families, schools, and communities.
Read This Week in Washington,
published by National PTA.
Our Voices, Raised Together, Are Making a Difference!
Help us advocate for children.
Join the National PTA Member-to-Member Network. When we need your help, you
will receive an e-mail asking you to go to the National PTA website and send a
letter to your members of Congress. We even write the letter for you! The few
minutes you give once a week or once every other week makes a huge impact in
Washington. Our voices raised together can make a difference!
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