Budget cuts protested in vigil By Joseph Armenta Candlelight flickered in the parking lot of a Spring Valley library when community members held a vigil in protest of local school budget cuts and to promote more flexible spending in schools. Educators, parents and students gathered around a microphone holding signs reading: "Invest in me, I am the Future" and "Cut Testing, Not Teachers." Speakers at the library on June 15 urged crowd members to get involved by contacting their local legislators and offered solutions to provide more money for teachers and educational programs. "We cannot stand by and watch our children's future disappear," said Mt. Helix Council President-Elect Christina Hicks. Hicks and Murdock Elementary School PTA Volunteer Jay Steiger organized the event after Hicks learned that her daughter's teacher was among the 88 given layoff notices in March. The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is facing $3.2 million in midyear cuts, according to district board records. The records also show the board has proposed reducing class sizes and advised each department to prepare for pay reductions ranging from 5 to 10 percent. La Mesa-Spring Valley Elementary School District board member Bill Baber said that teachers are considering taking a 3 percent pay cut in hopes of saving up to 30 teaching jobs next school year. Adrienne Korbel, a five-year kindergarten teacher at Murlock Elementary in La Mesa, was part of the recent layoffs. Korbel said that telling her kids that she wasn't coming back next year was hard. "It helps to know that there are other people in this situation and that there is support," she said. The main goal of the protest was to draw public attention to the situation and to give community members information on how to contact their legislators. Steiger also provided some possible solutions including allowing schools to be more flexible with state testing. "Spending is not allocated properly," he said. According to Steiger, switching state testing to every other year would save California up to $1 billion a year. He also said textbooks could be used longer, which would provide more money for teachers. One of the speakers, a local high school student, spoke about her school's choir class being cut due to lack of funding. The unidentified student's voice cracked, and tears rolled down her cheeks as she talked about how much she enjoyed the program. Hicks wants less focus on No Child Left Behind requirements in schools and more emphasis on school electives. "Schools should be art, music, sports and P.E," Hicks said. Similar protests like these have been held throughout California. According to California's Department of Education, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed slashing up to $6 billion in education funding. • • • Vox is the newspaper of the 2009 CCNMA-San Diego Multicultural Journalism Workshop. Return to index | See also: Vox on Blogspot