Even in deficit, education must remain priority
Guest opinion
By Hannah-Beth Jackson Candidate for state Senate

Our local school districts are in crisis, as is the statewide system itself.

Protests of imminent teacher firings and school closings, like the one I spoke at last week at Buena High School in Ventura, are sprouting up all across the state.

Our children are looking at losing beloved teachers, at crowded classrooms, and at a state per-pupil spending rate that will be the lowest in the entire nation if the governor's proposed cuts remain in place.

In wealthier districts parents are ponying up $400 to $1,000 each to save teacher slots- far more than they would pay to close the state's budget gap and protect our schools.

Any common-sense approach to solving the school crisis must start with an examination of our values and priorities.

We know that our children deserve the best education we can provide so that they will be prepared to compete in the world, prosper and achieve our great American Dream.

Additionally, it is imperative that we educate future generations to be knowledgeable and thoughtful on the issues and the people we choose to lead us.

Today we leave far too many children behind, at our great cost. We now spend almost $45,000 per person to house prisoners and only $7,000 per pupil in our schools.

With dropout rates at record highs, and few experts to identify learning-disabled children, we are closing off avenues for success for children, many of whom will wind up wards of the state.

Is it any wonder that 75 percent of the state prison population didn't graduate from high school and that the average prisoner reads at a seventh-grade level? Our resources are better spent on education than incarceration.

The governor's own Committee on Education Excellence's recent report concluded both that existing school funding must be better used and that more funding is required in certain areas.

We must reform the complex funding formulas which fund our schools.

We should certainly eliminate the restrictions on certain types of categorical funding that tie local school districts' hands. We must allow spending based on district needs and priorities.

But simply cutting the budget and firing teachers is not a solution. It leads to chaos, diminished expectations and results, and an environment less conducive to the reforms called for by the governor's own committee. We can't keep just saying "no" to our schools while at the same time demanding that the system work better.

We must not balance the state budget on the backs of our children. I support closing tax loopholes for those who don't need them.

Our investment should be in helping our youngsters realize their hopes and dreams.

The sloophole, a yacht and airplane owner's tax loophole; tax breaks for multinational companies; and tax breaks for oil companies that extract our oil- all of these have questionable economic merit.

California would be far better prepared for its economic future with a top quality educational system that will bring new businesses to the state and create a vibrant, 21st century economy.

Beth-Jackson is running for the state Senate 19th district seat that will be vacated by Tom McClintock, who's leaving office in compliance with term limits. The election will be in November.