With Governor Schwarzenegger expected to cut school funding by as much as 10 percent this summer, members of the San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP) have been working to ensure that schools across the city continue to receive adequate funding. On April 28, parent leaders from Sanchez Elementary School, a member of SFOP in the city's Mission District, organized a town hall meeting with over 250 concerned parents and community members to ask county officials and the Mayor's office to release funding from the city's Rainy Day fund to make up for the an anticipated loss of $40 million in state funding.

In March, the school district sent letters to 535 teachers notifying them of potential layoffs due to the cuts. The city needs $30 million to prevent the layoffs, an amount that the parent leaders called on the city to provide from its $122 million Rainy Day fund.

Parents from schools across the city gave testimonials about how the budget cuts – and the city's inaction – will affect their schools, particularly with the loss of qualified teachers and paraprofessionals. In response, County Supervisors Bevan Dufty and Gerardo Sandoval committed to make sure that no teachers or paraprofessionals are laid off this year, and both agreed to introduce legislation for additional funds if the Rainy Day funds are not enough to offset the state budget cuts. Hydra Mendoza, an aide to Mayor Gavin Newsome, made a commitment on behalf of the Mayor, saying he will do everything in his power to ensure that not one teacher or paraprofessional is laid off next year due to budget cuts.

For more information about SFOP, visit www.sfop.org

Media Coverage
Public school advocates demand help from Rainy Day fund