STUDENT Qualcomm Rally May 21
This event is being sponsored by the San Diego Unified Council of PTAs. The focus will be entirely on students; seven students have been selected to speak, and they hope to have student performances from programs at risk of being lost to budget cuts. If you wish to support your students, please attend: 

Meeting our Legislators

Assemblyman George Plesia

Friday, April 25^th a small group of PUSD, PFT and PTA representatives met with Assemblyman Plesia. Our goal was to give Plesia a better understanding of the current funding crisis in PUSD and discuss possible solutions for this year and the future:

• Everyone agreed the current instability in our funding system and structure creates instability and needs reform. Plescia suggested a reform initiative be placed on the November ballot. PFT suggested the need to inform our citizens and that both republicans and democrats share the same financial facts about funding education.
• Everyone agreed school district budget timelines need to be aligned with state budget timelines to eliminate further instability with the management of resources.
• Dr. Phillips explained what the specific negative consequences to personnel and programs will be based on the current budget proposal to our local district.
• PUSD, PTA and PFT proposed flexibility in categorical monies.
• PTA shared that parents are at a breaking point with year after year efforts to “fill in the gaps”. PUSD parents have spent more than 300,000 volunteer hours  this year alone supporting PUSD schools.
• PTA suggested that because parents have been funding basic education needs that this “user” fee should be shared equally by all.
• Students expressed their fears and concerns over increased class size and fewer opportunities both at the K12 level and at the university level in California.
• Students were clear that the idea of losing existing teachers to budget cuts has created instability in their lives.
• PFT spoke to our teachers’ concerns, “Is there a future for teachers in California?” Consequences to California’s inadequate funding for education will cause new teachers to leave the state; for potential teachers to reconsider entering the profession; and our existing teachers will find new jobs where their education, work ethic, and motivation will be valued.

The small group and Assemblyman Plesica had an excellent dialog about possible solutions for this year and in the future. The group requested greater flexibility with categorical money and the possibility of PUSD being a pilot Charter District which would allow for more flexibility and local control with the same accountability measures for any public school district. Assemblyman Plescia seemed interested in the idea and agreed that PUSD would be a perfect district for such a pilot. Plescia stated that PUSD has clearly shown they have met or exceeded all the accountability measures even with less money than other districts.

The small group wanted to discuss details of how the recent, Republican Education Budget Will Protect Classrooms, Prevent Teacher Layoffs proposal would affect Poway Unified. Dr. Phillips provided specific budget strategies based on a variety of outcomes from the Republican proposal and offered to share his expertise in how State funding is actualized at the local level.

The small group representatives included: Dr. Don Phillips PUSD Superintendent, Candy Smiley PFT, Jeff Magnum  PUSD Board Member, Mary Andrews Palomar Council PTA President, Linda Cialeo and Lorene Joosten Ninth District PTA Legislative Chairs, and two students Amanda Finn and Allison Cormier

Senator Dennis Hollingsworth

Thursday, May 1^st a small group of PUSD, PFT and PTA representatives met with Senator Hollingsworth to discuss the current Republican proposal, Republican Education Budget Will Protect Classrooms, Prevent Teacher Layoffs and the “Joint Senate and Assembly Republican Education Reform Options”. The following questions related to flexibility (Reform Options) were discussed:  

• PTA is concerned that flexibility will be used as a “band-aid” to fix the problems rather than address the real problems associated with the existing structures and systems in place for funding for education.
• Board Member and PFT discussed the possibility of lowering the 2/3 required vote for a parcel tax. A parcel tax would allow a low-funded district like Poway to acquire greater funding with local control.
• Superintendent proposed the concept of using Poway as a pilot Charter District which would allow for the same flexibility charter schools have but require the same accountability measures.
• PTA shared facts on the number of duplicate services in education and that 1/3 of all money for education stays at the state level -  another reason for education reform.
• PFT brought up the question of flexibility with CSR. The group discussed how flexibility with CSR could continue to maintain small class sizes but with a greater savings to the District.

The small group representatives included: Dr. Don Phillips PUSD Superintendent, Candy Smiley PFT, Linda Vanderveen PUSD Board Member, and Lorene Joosten Ninth District PTA Legislative Chair.