March 27, 2007
Support Academia Semillas del Pueblo
Tomorrow is the last day to take action in support of the re-chartering of Academia Semillas del Pueblo before the March 29, 2007 meeting of the LAUSD School Board. Pledge to support educational equity as voted on by National MEChA at the conference resolution circle in Denver.
Academia has created this pledge as the vehicle for community members to show support for the re-authorization of the charter. You can print this form and fax it to (323) 987-1240.
You can also show your support by emailing the board members directly or faxing them also.
| Marguerite Poindexter Lamotte | marguerite.lamotte@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8441 |
| Mónica García | monica.garcia@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8459 |
| Jon Lauritzen (Vice President) | jon.lauritzen@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8979 |
| Marlene Canter (President) | marlene.canter@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8453 |
| David Tokofsky | david.tokofsky@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8467 |
| Julie Korenstein | julie.korenstein@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8451 |
| Mike Lansing | mike.lansing@lausd.net | Fax: (213) 241-8452 |
Posted by Omar Medina on 12:59 PM
September 15, 2006
Don’t Let Gov. Schwarzenegger Veto the California Dream Act!
In an Op-Ed piece (Keep the Immigration Debate Civil) published in the LA Times on Tuesday, Governor Schwarzenegger wrote: “[Immigrants] must pay a fine for breaking our laws. They must learn English and become part of our culture. They must pay back taxes and pay for healthcare and education rather than expect American taxpayers to pay extra when some cannot even afford healthcare or college for their own children.”
This piece is hinting at the possibility that the Governor will likely be vetoing Sen. Gil Cedillo’s SB 160, the California Dream Act.This bill would allow AB 540 students to qualify for in-state financial aid such as the Cal Grant and the California Community College Board of Governors Fee Waiver. When AB 540 passed in 2001, the removal of qualifying for in-state financial aid was the main compromise that had to be made in order to pass and allow undocumented high school graduates to attend California public institutions of higher education and pay in-state tuition.
September 30 is the last day for Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature before September 1 and in his possession on or after September 1 (California Constitution, Art. IV, Sec.10(b)(2)). In order for SB 160 to become effective the Governor can sign the bill into law or allow it to become law without his or her signature.
What does this mean?
This means that we must act now by showing our support for this bill and ensuring it becomes law, making higher education accessible to many deserving students.
What can you do?
Call the Governor:
The California DREAM Act is one of six bills that the Governor has chosen to monitor using his telephone call-in feature.- Call: (916) 445-2841 (Available 24 hours);
- Press: 1 - English (use English option because SB 160 is not in the Spanish option);
- Press: 2 - Voice Opinion on Legislation OR Press 5 to speak to a person (9am-5pm);
- Then Press: 6 - SB 160, California Dream Act.
E-mail the Governor:
- At governor@governor.ca.gov;
- Or visit: http://www.govmail.ca.gov.
Write the Governor:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
-- Sample Letter --You can also write his district offices to show your support >>>
Fax the Governor:
- Fax: 916-445-4633
-- Sample Letter --
You can also fax his district offices to show your support >>>
- Fax: 916-445-4633
District Offices |
|
| Fresno Office 2550 Mariposa Mall #3013 Fresno, CA 93721 Phone: 559-445-5295 Fax: 559-445-5328 |
San Diego Office 1350 Front Street, Suite 6054 San Diego, CA 92101 Phone: 619-525-4641 Fax: 619-525-4640 |
| Los Angeles Office 300 South Spring Street, Suite 16701 Los Angeles, CA 90013 Phone: 213-897-0322 Fax: 213-897-0319 |
San Francisco Office 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14000 San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: 415-703-2218 Fax: 415-703-2803 |
| Riverside Office 3737 Main Street #201 Riverside, CA 92501 Phone: 951-680-6860 Fax: 951-680-6863 |
Washington D.C. Office 134 Hall of the States 444 North Capitol Street NW Washington D.C. 20001 Phone: 202-624-5270 Fax: 202-624-5280 |
Posted by Omar Medina on 5:00 AM
January 5, 2006
Gov. Schwarzenegger: "I say build it"
In his State of the State speech today, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed some major initiatives for the State of California as it relates to education. Among these are the "construction of more than 2,000 small schools, 40,000 classrooms and modernizing another 140,000."
In terms of Higher Education the governor did not propose the construction of any new schools, but he did say that "we need new classrooms, libraries and science labs in hundreds of new buildings on our campuses."
To both of these porposals he had one thing to say: "build it."
However, the funding of his proposals would require the largest bond package in state history.
The governor also included some details regarding the budget he will be introducing next week. Among these was the elimination of the scheduled CSU fee increase scheduled for the 2006/2007 school year.
Other budget details included the immediate repayment of the entire $1.67 billion in Proposition 98 money and an automatic budget increase of $2.3 billion.
He also reminded us that California's Proposition 49 will go into effect this year and provide an additional $428 million for after-school programs.
"This will make our state the only one in the nation to offer comprehensive after-school programs" said Gov. Schwarzenegger.
The governor also proposed a one dollar an hour increase to the California minimum wage with half starting this year. If this increase occurs, it would greatly benefit many students that have minimum wage jobs.
While saying that we needed to prepare for more than half a million new students during the next ten years in our institutions of higher education, he did not propose the building of any new colleges or universities. However, he did propose the building of 2 new prisons for 83,000 new prisoners over the next ten years.
The Governor announced many other social and public works proposals. These can all be found by reading the full text of his speech.
The Republican Governor will require some major cooperation from the Democrat controlled legislature if he wants his proposals to be realized. This is likely to become complicated with Gov. Schwarzenegger coming up for re-election this November.
Democratic leaders welcomed Schwarzenegger's call for cooperation, saying they were willing to work with him in the spirit of what Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez called "principled compromise."
We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Posted by Omar Medina on 10:47 PM
December 29, 2005
Governor halts CSU fee increase
Governor Schwarzeneggers office announced yesterday that his budget will provide enough money to eliminate the planned university fee increases for the 2006/2007 school year that were announced earlier this year.
"Because of the state's improved revenue picture, the governor is taking the opportunity to ease the financial burden on students and their families," said an administration official who detailed the budget move on the condition of not being identified.
On October 27th, the CSU Trustees approved the 2006/2007 budget and fee increase proposal. They approved an 8 percent fee increase for undergraduate students. The current annual State University Fee is $2,520.00; this fee would have increased to $2,724.00.
The fee increase was part of a deal made with Schwarzenegger in 2004 in which the universities agreed to raise fees over six years in exchange for a guarantee that the state would provide a minimum level of annual funding.
It now appears that the Governor is taking the state's improved fiscal condition to benefit his image by halting the fee increase that he initiated back in 2004. An image that is in need of help after all his proposed 2005 ballot initiatives failed and with the upcoming Gubernatorial election next November.
Related links
Posted by Omar Medina on 8:29 PM
December 23, 2005
Santa Rosa School Closures
On Friday, December 9 the Press Democrat published an article showing the intentions of the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education to shut down some school's for what they say are fiscal reasons. That same night Aztlán en Vivo devoted the show to addressing the issue. The following Friday, December 16, we continued with the coverage and an update with the information that the board presented at their first community forum regarding the issue on December 13.
Tonight we will continue the discussion with an update on what parents are doing, what they can do, and we will also continue dialog on the sociological effects of these closures. Some of the questions that need to be addressed are:
- Why are the targeted schools primarily populated by people of color, and for that matter Raza?
- Are fiscal reasons truly behind the closures? Or is it a pre-emptive attempt to resolve issues with the No Child Left Behind Act?
If you are unable to tune-in, please get involved and attend one of the community forums that the SRCS school district will be holding. Simply download the schedule.
Related articles published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
- SR may close up to 2 schools -- December 9, 2005
- Parents outraged over proposed SR school closures -- December 10, 2005
- Board invites public to discuss school closures -- December 11, 2005
- Board invites public to discuss school closures -- December 12, 2005
- Meeting on SR school closings -- December 13, 2005
- Possible SR school closures debated -- December 14, 2005
Posted by Omar Medina on 4:12 AM | Comments (0)
