Michael Miller
Nine Newport-Mesa PTA members joined a delegation of Orange County
parents Wednesday in flying to Sacramento to voice educational
concerns to state officials.
The 82-member group, organized by the Fourth District PTA, planned
to spend two days in the capitol talking with state senators and
assemblymen about the increasing budget problems in California's
public school system.
The PTA district, which covers Orange County and parts of Los
Angeles County, brings a coalition of parents to Sacramento every
year.
At the John Wayne Airport on Wednesday morning, participants
gathered in the Southwest Airlines terminal with signs and buttons
protesting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's handling of state education
funds.
"We want parents to be more aware of what's going on and more
involved in advocacy," said Patty Christiansen, vice president of
legislation for the Harbor Council PTA. "That's what this trip is all
about."
Along with Christiansen, the other Newport-Mesa parents on the
trip included Stacy Lemoine, Kay Davis, Lisa Boler, Michele Graham,
Andy Simonoff, Theresa Chase and Nora Lehman. Christiansen said the
group would meet with local assemblymen Chuck DeVore (R-Newport
Beach) and Van Tran (R-Costa Mesa), state Sen. John Campbell (R-Costa
Mesa) and other elected officials.
Top on the group's agenda was the disputed funding for Proposition
98, a measure that guarantees a minimum amount of state money for
public schools. Schwarzenegger reduced funds for Prop. 98 in 2004
during a budget crisis and has not replenished them in his proposed
budget for the next fiscal year, a move many have decried as a broken
promise.
"This year we're going to lobby the governor and legislature to
keep their promise to restore Prop. 98 funding because it's affecting
our classrooms and our kids," said Fourth District PTA president Mary
Galuska.
In May, Schwarzenegger will present a revised version of his
proposed 2005-06 budget. Members of the Fourth District delegation
said they hope to sway the governor's opinion before the May
revision.
"Part of what the general public doesn't understand is that the
governor has not only cut our funds," Christiansen said. "He has
shifted budget items that used to be paid for by the state -- such as
teacher retirement funds and special education transportation -- to
the school district budget without an increase to cover it."
In addition to budget matters, the Fourth District members planned
to discuss a pair of education-related bills currently before the
