Action Alert - Protect education and children's services

Please call your State Senator this week to urge him or her to support the Assembly Budget proposal, which protects education and other critical children's services from further devastating cuts. To find your state senator's contact information, go to http://legmap01.lc.ca.gov/amapsearch/framepage.asp.

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My name is ____________. I am a PTA member from (name of school district).
Please let the Senator know that I, and my fellow PTA members statewide, support the Assembly budget proposal which prevents deeper cuts to education and children's services by identifying additional revenues to help fund these critical programs.

Background

On May 25, Assembly Speaker John Perez and Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee Bob Blumenfield released The California Jobs Budget, in response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's May Revision of his proposed 2010-11 state budget.

The Assembly proposal calls for closing the $17.9 billion General Fund shortfall and ending the year with a $1 billion final reserve. This proposal more closely reflects the values of Californians than other proposals offered so far. It puts children first by preventing deeper cuts to education and children's health and welfare services. Deeper cuts to those programs are intolerable and unconscionable. PTA has consistently stated that a balanced approach, one that includes additional revenues, is needed to address the state's deficit.

One of the components of the Assembly's budget proposal is an oil severance tax. PTA recently took a Support position on Assemblymember Pedro Nava's AB 1604, which would impose a 10 percent severance tax on oil produced in California. We believe that it is time for California to join all of the other major oil-producing states in levying an oil severance tax. In total, the Assembly Budget Plan includes $9 billion in revenue solutions, including a proposal to securitize the California Beverage Recycling Fund and delay the expiration of corporate tax breaks, among other things. PTA is encouraged that ideas for additional revenues to prevent deeper cuts are now being put forward and seriously considered in the legislature.

The time has come to speak up, not only for the more than 9 million children of California, but for the future economic prosperity of our state. In order to make the critical investments in our children, we must generate additional revenues. Please take 5 minutes out of your day to make the call to your Senator today.