No Cuts to Education

Rai, so young, and already such an activist. Parking yourself under the great new mural of a kimono-wearing, katana-wielding lady on the wall at Haight and Cole, you called over to us, "Take this photo!" Immediately, we got the point you were trying to get across with this image: if the government is going to cut money to education, it may as well strike out directly at our youth, cutting them down in the streets of our city, ending their lives mercifully before they can even enter their dismal, education-less futures.
What's all this about cuts to education? California has entered a period of hard times. Budget shortfalls mean immense cuts to public education. Tuition fees are being raised to levels that effectively lock out thousands of students, fewer will be admitted to public universities, and school districts are losing millions. Our District must cut $113 million in the next two years. Currently on the bargaining table are 500 teacher jobs, a 3-year salary freeze, a raise in class sizes from 35 to 45 (an unimaginable number in public high schools) and much, much more.
Today, students and teachers marched to City Hall, peacefully protesting the cuts to education. Your Mom marched with them.
California is currently 50 out of 51 States in spending per student. What is the future of education in the Golden State? Time will tell but we hope the State's priorities have changed by the time you're preparing to enter middle and high school.