City Hall protestors demand end to cuts

By Hannah Weiner
FEATURES EDITOR

City College and San Francisco State University students and teachers gathered at City Hall on Oct. 15 to protest education budget cuts. Rally participants stood on the steps holding umbrellas which spelled out “Save Public Education” while other students and organization members handed out pamphlets to encourage public involvement.

“I've been teaching for over 15 years and have seen other cutbacks, but never anything this severe,” said Brigitte Davila, San Francisco State University teacher and chair of the Political Action Committee. “The core mission of the university is threatened.”

Davila has been working toward improving the education budget since last summer. “We've been planning and we decided to launch this campaign to raise awareness,” she said. “The Rally for Public Education coordinated with a number of other groups supporting public education in California.”

There will be a Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — protest in the Mission district and a “Home for the Holidays” campaign to give students information about California's higher education's funding crisis, according to Davila.

One proposition to fix the problem is AB 656 which would tax oil and gas extraction specifically to fund higher education. Another proposal is to amend Proposition 13 to only cover property taxes on primary residences.

Right now, Proposition 13 caps residential property tax at one percent of the property value, but it also provides corporate tax loopholes which decrease the amount of money allocated to California schools. Others are proposing a constitutional convention to repeal the two-thirds requirement to pass a budget.

Organizations who attended the protest included the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121 and the Revolutionary Workers Group.

“Cuts have made a huge impact on me,” said Drew Van, a San Francisco State University student and organizer for RWG. “If it weren't for the chair of my department, I wouldn't have been able to graduate.”

Van is one of many students impacted by the cuts. Rachel Morgan, who has attended City College off-and-on for a few years, is also trying to raise education awareness.

“I'm involved with the Defend Our Education Coalition and the International Socialist Club,” Morgan said. “Budget cuts have hit students hard. I came here today so I could find other students and tell them about other rallies and events we're having.”

AFT 2121 plans to continue working for quality education in California. Gus Goldstein, president of the union, encouraged individuals to “write letters, make phone calls and show up at the rallies.”

“We are a long way from the Master Plan for Higher Education,” Davila said. The plan was a concerted effort in the 1960s to offer a quality public education for every Californian.

“The University of California, the California State Universities and the Community College system were developed to create educational opportunities that would ultimately benefit all of California by creating an educated work force,” Davila said.