F-Grade Budget Means California Teachers Get Expelled

The state's budget woes may soon have a massive casualty list to its credit, culled from our already ailing school systems. Who's getting kicked out of school? Educators!

Late next week, teachers and administrative staff from public schools around the state will find out they may soon be unemployed, reports the Daily News. "The layoff letters, which by law must go out by Saturday, could number in the tens of thousands, school officials warn." Ultimately, many of the letter's recipients may not lose their jobs--provided the state can find the $8 million to file the hole in our budget. California's schools are expected to pitch in $4.4 million as their share in the form of budget cuts. Local school conglomerate LAUSD is looking at a budget cut of over $400 million next year. And we all know that LA's public schools are the first and best place to start when looking to trim the financial fat, right?

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced some time ago that in order to solve the fiscal crisis, he would initiate cuts in education, a decision that has angered the public and opposing Democratic politicians and lawmakers in Sacramento. Schwarzenegger claims the cuts are "negotiable" and manageable enough at the school level to "reduce impacts." Locally, LAUSD has stated they will not lay off teachers in permanent positions, but will, however, consider trimming from the ranks of administrative staff. Those staff will get sent the warning letter on March 15. Final notices will hit on May 15, and jobs will be gone by July 1.

Maybe we should all sing a few lines from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" now, just to show The Governator we're behind him. Mmm hmm hmm hmmm, "we don't need no education..."

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