Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin and the presidents of both the Oxnard and Ventura school boards have thrown their support behind Susan Jordan’s 35th District Assembly run.

Ventura Unified School District Board of Trustees President Mary Haffner and Oxnard School District Board of Trustees President Denis O’Leary join a growing group of local education leaders and others who are passionate about public education and are looking for someone who can best represent the interests of the students and teaching professionals in the state.

“I am supporting Susan because she will be a tireless advocate for our children and our students from preschool to graduate school,” said Eastin. “Too many candidates are fainthearted and weak in the knees. Susan will not be confused or deluded into going along to get along if the price is compromising education. Let us elect someone with a brass backbone. Let us elect Susan Jordan.”

“Susan Jordan courageously fights for what she believes in — starting with quality public education. The children of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties — and throughout California — will be served well when Susan is elected to the State Assembly,” said Ventura Board President Haffner.

“Susan Jordan is an advocate for the people — not a typical politician. She does her homework and makes decisions because they are the right thing to do, not to please the special interests,” Haffner added.

“Susan Jordan has been a strong advocate of a better education for our children and adults. I appreciate Susan’s work to improve our educational system and her knowledgeable advice,” said Oxnard Board President Denis O’Leary.

And Nancy Harter, former president of the Santa Barbara School Board had this to say, “In a time of dwindling resources for our K-12 students, nothing is more important than having legislators who understand the difficulties our schools face and can work to come up with the innovative solutions these challenging times demand. Susan is a listener and a problem solver and stands up for what is right. She has my support.”

As the parent of a college student, Jordan also understands the issues facing our higher education institutions. “At a time when more people than ever need re-training efforts to compete, class sections are being closed and popular programs have long waitlists. There is no greater investment in our future than higher education,” Jordan said.

She also has the support of Ventura County Community College District Trustees Cheryl Heitmann, Stephen Blum and Larry O. Miller.

“We need someone in Sacramento with Susan Jordan’s principled strength and determination to fight for our students. As a parent of a college student, she knows the great promise this generation holds. Cutting back on support to our students is like cutting off our future. Susan knows this and I support her,” Heitmann said.

In addition, Jordan has secured the endorsements of Arthur Joe Lopèz, Trustee, Oxnard School District; Dick Jaquez, Trustee, Oxnard Union High School District; Laura Malakoff, Former President, Santa Barbara School Board; and Marie Lakin, co-chair of Save Our Schools, and immediate past co-president of the Ventura Education Partnership.

Susan Jordan is an award-winning environmental leader, businesswoman, health advocate, mother and former chair of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission.

cross posted from Making Waves Blog, Ventura County Star, March 2, 2009

WHAT’S THE BEST REASON to not cut our state education funding? In the future we’ll need sharp minds to get us out of these budget messes.

I’ve been hunkered down for the past few days looking over documents and trying to make some sense of the budget package the governor just signed and how it will affect the bottom line of our schools. It’s a precarious hodgepodge of $8.4 billion in cuts offset by reforms and accounting tricks. And all of this hinges on a package of ballot measures up in May, some designed to reshuffle prior ballot measures.

This labyrinthine budget reduces Prop. 98 guaranteed school funding from now through 2010 and then adds in another ballot measure to help to help restore the lost funds in 2011. Yet another tinkers with Prop. 98 formulas because the state now needs to borrow from future lottery earnings that would’ve gone to our schools.

Several of the seven ballot measures coming up on May 19 are so complicated that one could safely predict most voters probably won’t do anything but vote no in protest, if they bother to cast a ballot at all.

AND THERE’S MORE: Categorical funding for many important programs is being slashed 20 percent between now and 2010. Included in this are programs for gifted students, college preparation, middle and high school counseling, deferred maintenance, technology, English language acquisition, summer school, ROP programs, and, of course, arts and music. In return, school districts are being given the “flexibility” to move these pots of funding around, but it’s sort of like figuring out which child doesn’t get dinner that night.

Upcoming federal money, which would help reduce state taxes, would have no effect on K-12 classroom funding this budget year, according to the California Department of Education. In the longer term, “these resources will have a minimal impact on reducing the size and magnitude of the state reductions in education funding,” according to the California Association of School Business Officials.

AS YOU CAN SURMISE, budgeting for the next school year is like playing pin the tail on the weasel. It’s a moving target which the dedicated folks who can actually figure this stuff out HAVE to wrestle with because the deadline for letting teachers know whether or not they will have jobs next year is March 13. Yet, they won’t have any answers until June. Maybe.

Here in Ventura, school officials are looking at a mighty big gap. “… It will not look like business as usual here,” said Superintendent Trudy Arriaga. “We should not be celebrating a state budget that is cutting $10 million out of a little budget like the Ventura Unified School District has.

“We should be outraged.”

Most people just pay attention to all this by how it affects them personally. If you have a child in the public schools in California, expect bigger class sizes, no new textbooks, fewer supplies and technology, less remedial help, reduced maintenance and less emphasis on programs such as arts, music and physical education. Some familiar faces in teaching, staff and administration will be gone.

“About the only thing schools won’t have less of is testing,” said Ventura Unified Educators Association President Steve Blum. “The more-and-more testing crowd made sure state testing will be untouched.

“All this together is not good. This generation’s shortsighted approach to preparing the next generation for the future is sad.”