Solidarity is key against budget cuts
Ryan Villarreal
Issue date: 10/29/09 Last update: 10/29/09 at 2:44 AM PST
Section: News
Students, faculty and staff from educational institutions across California numbered in the majority of the more than 600 people who were at the conference on Oct. 24 at UC Berkeley to discuss the impact of reduced state funding upon their respective schools and the options available to organize against the cuts.
A unified statewide "Day of Action" in protest of budget cuts to education was ultimately agreed upon and scheduled for March 4, 2010.
Different schools and individuals will decide how they participate--strikes, walkouts and marching in Sacramento were some of the more popular ideas--but the driving message was that the actions be done in solidarity.
"The fight for education is all of our fight --for workers that are getting laid off, teachers that are getting furloughs, students of color that are being left out of higher education, and for all students that see that [education] is the path for everyone," said Cal student and conference facilitator Luis Reyes during the opening statements.
Other speakers followed, sharing the budget woes from their schools or educational sectors. Berkeley City College student Jen Wood spoke out about the plight of California's community colleges:
"The community college system is vital to California public education. Over three million students attend the 110 community colleges… Some students work full time, are taking night classes, have families to raise and would have no other option [for education] should the community colleges not exist."
The decision to hold the "Day of Action" in March was reached through a series of deliberative processes, which began with the conference separating into the four main sectors of California's public education system--UCs, CSUs, community colleges and K-12.
Each group addressed the issues and concerns specific to its own sector through open discussion, and came up with a shortlist of eight actions its members thought would be most effective in protest The lists were then reviewed and compiled by the conference facilitators over lunch to create a master list of possible actions and dates.
A unified statewide "Day of Action" in protest of budget cuts to education was ultimately agreed upon and scheduled for March 4, 2010.
Different schools and individuals will decide how they participate--strikes, walkouts and marching in Sacramento were some of the more popular ideas--but the driving message was that the actions be done in solidarity.
"The fight for education is all of our fight --for workers that are getting laid off, teachers that are getting furloughs, students of color that are being left out of higher education, and for all students that see that [education] is the path for everyone," said Cal student and conference facilitator Luis Reyes during the opening statements.
Other speakers followed, sharing the budget woes from their schools or educational sectors. Berkeley City College student Jen Wood spoke out about the plight of California's community colleges:
"The community college system is vital to California public education. Over three million students attend the 110 community colleges… Some students work full time, are taking night classes, have families to raise and would have no other option [for education] should the community colleges not exist."
The decision to hold the "Day of Action" in March was reached through a series of deliberative processes, which began with the conference separating into the four main sectors of California's public education system--UCs, CSUs, community colleges and K-12.
Each group addressed the issues and concerns specific to its own sector through open discussion, and came up with a shortlist of eight actions its members thought would be most effective in protest The lists were then reviewed and compiled by the conference facilitators over lunch to create a master list of possible actions and dates.
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