Before school this morning, hundreds of teachers and students across Pacifica stood in front of their schools holding signs and chanting. Their message? No more cuts to public education in California.
According to school employees and unions, one of the legislature's first courses of action should be to pass Governor Jerry Brown's proposed extension of all school taxes in the state including Pacifica School District's Measure N, thus keeping the state's funding of public schools (Pacifica School District's budget is 90 percent state money) at the same level it was at last year. Without it, school employees claim, additional cuts to staff and core curriculum will need to be made, further weakening California's declining public education system.
Republican lawmakers, however, have blocked passage of Brown's bill.
"Almost everybody supports schools," said Pacifica School District teacher Mark Malcolm as he held a sign outside this morning. "I wish we could get the legislature to do the same thing."
This morning's local protests were only a warmup for regional ones. This evening, thousands of teachers from across the Bay Area are expected to gather in San Francisco for a rally.
Watch the video for more on the protest outside Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School this morning.
