California has been making deep budget cuts to education that are negatively impacting students and teachers. For years on March 15th, thousands of teachers have received "pink slips" notifying them that they are being laid off due to cuts. Last year alone, 22,000 teachers received pink slips. These cuts are falling disproportionately on education, with 85% of trigger cuts impacting schools. Students report that the cuts are leading to larger class sizes, fewer arts programs, and apprehension about being able to afford college. Advocates argue that education should be seen as an investment in the state's future economic success and recovery, rather than an expense to cut.

1. California shortchanges the future of its students
By Natalie Landau/For the Appeal­Democrat | Posted: Thursday, February 16, 2012 12:00 am
"Beware the ides of March." Thus the Soothsayer warned Julius Caesar of the 15th of March, a day
that ended with Caesar's death. Perhaps it is fitting that California chose this iconic day to murder
education just as Brutus murdered Caesar.
For years, March 15 has been a day of distress for teachers statewide, many of whom will receive the
dreaded "pink slip." This small, pretty piece of pale pink paper leaves teachers unemployed and
scrambling for any position that the recession may be kind enough to grant them.
Last year, a total of 22,000 hard­working, college­graduated, California­certified teachers were given
pink slips. Teachers, with their lofty aspirations and dedication to help mold a conscientious and well­
educated society, were kicked to the curb due to budget cuts.
With each new budget proposal, approximately 85 percent of trigger cuts fall on education. Why is it
that we sit placidly and allow this to happen?
By the time your child graduates from high school, he or she will have spent, on average, 2,200 days
sitting in a classroom. We are taught that education is the cornerstone of spiritual and practical
freedom; we are taught that it will guarantee success; we are taught that it is imperative to building a
nation. And yet, ironically, the emphasis placed upon education does not match the financial support
given to it.
Cuts must be made. The U.S. government, and particularly the California government, have made that
clear. When comparing the amount of dollars spent per student to the other 50 states, California is
ranked embarrassingly at 47th.
Michelle Yang, an eighth­grader at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, said, "Most of
California's cities are rated as some of the worst in the nation, unemployment­wise, and I think that's
partly due to a lack in educational opportunities."
Budget cuts are being felt from K­12 and even at state­funded colleges, which are being forced to
raise their tuition. Many of my peers have been forced to re­evaluate their college decisions due to the
rising costs.
Makayla Synak, a senior, was recently accepted to her top­choice college but is apprehensive of being
unable to pay. "Budget cuts are always happening, just like the rising cost in college tuition," Makayla
sighed. "It's terrible that California puts so little money in education."
The cutbacks in public education are dramatic and apparent, from the increasing class sizes to the

2. losses in the arts. As more and more teachers await the inevitable pink slip, it's not surprising that
their motivation dwindles and their ability to teach slumps. Would you want to work in an
environment where you are overworked, underpaid, underappreciated?
Students feel the cuts, too. Senior Kalia Klein said, "When the students' favorite teacher is fired, it
breeds the idea that the administration and the district don't care about the students or their
education."
Parents, students and teachers demand to see a shift in priorities. California can't continue to settle for
having the second­highest unemployment rate in the country (11.1 percent). It can't continue to
shortchange our future; it can't put education on the back burner.
Education should be seen as an investment in the nation's future. It is crucial to economic recovery, as
well as creating a sustainable, educated and analytical society.
Natalie Landau is a senior at Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts. Her column appears every six
weeks in Education.