2008 Woodie Awards
Press conference held at Stanislaus to discuss next year's proposed budget cuts
By: Chris Dunne
Issue date: 5/14/08 Section: News
Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, with support from local educational officials, held a press conference May 8 in the Lakeside Conference Room at California State University, Stanislaus to discuss next year's proposed budget cuts.
Garamendi used this opportunity to address the pitfalls California will face if the proposed budget is approved.
The proposed budget will affect all areas of public schooling and looks to cut $4.8 billion from the K-12 school system and an additional $644.8 million from UC and CSU campuses.
This means more than 10,000 students will not be able to receive the education they expect.
"The budget deficit that lies ahead of us is going to starve this system and there is no place where you're on a starvation diet that you are going to succeed and thrive," Garamendi said.
"California's intellectual infrastructure is waning; it's becoming less powerful. We built this state on the smartest and most skilled people in the entire world and we are not there today. We will not be the number one state, the number one economy and most technologically advanced if we don't have the greatest education system. This year's budget has got to change to one where we fully fund the infrastructure."
The lieutenant governor cited the "severe shortage of highly skilled workers we'll need in our economy" if funding is cut and students are forced to live lives without an education.
"The men and women who can build the electronic systems, build the satellites build the machines; we're going to lose them. 47,000 nurses will be needed in the central valley by 2010 and we're only training 6,000 a year."
"We want to build a wind turbine system over Altamont Pass. Who is going to make those wind turbines? Machinists that don't exist in California today; where will they get their education? Unfortunately they won't be able to get their education at community colleges or universities because of this year's budget."
Garamendi said he thinks it is the responsibility of the legislature and the Governor to ensure California's economic future by providing an accessible public school system for job training. He uses the state of Michigan as a harbinger.
Garamendi used this opportunity to address the pitfalls California will face if the proposed budget is approved.
The proposed budget will affect all areas of public schooling and looks to cut $4.8 billion from the K-12 school system and an additional $644.8 million from UC and CSU campuses.
This means more than 10,000 students will not be able to receive the education they expect.
"The budget deficit that lies ahead of us is going to starve this system and there is no place where you're on a starvation diet that you are going to succeed and thrive," Garamendi said.
"California's intellectual infrastructure is waning; it's becoming less powerful. We built this state on the smartest and most skilled people in the entire world and we are not there today. We will not be the number one state, the number one economy and most technologically advanced if we don't have the greatest education system. This year's budget has got to change to one where we fully fund the infrastructure."
The lieutenant governor cited the "severe shortage of highly skilled workers we'll need in our economy" if funding is cut and students are forced to live lives without an education.
"The men and women who can build the electronic systems, build the satellites build the machines; we're going to lose them. 47,000 nurses will be needed in the central valley by 2010 and we're only training 6,000 a year."
"We want to build a wind turbine system over Altamont Pass. Who is going to make those wind turbines? Machinists that don't exist in California today; where will they get their education? Unfortunately they won't be able to get their education at community colleges or universities because of this year's budget."
Garamendi said he thinks it is the responsibility of the legislature and the Governor to ensure California's economic future by providing an accessible public school system for job training. He uses the state of Michigan as a harbinger.
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