Dozens of teachers in gathered on Inglewood Avenue to rally in favor of a school funding ballot initiative before Tuesday night's Redondo Beach Board of Education meeting.
With signs saying "Yes on Prop 30"—California Gov. Jerry Brown's November ballot proposal to raise money for schools by increasing the state sales tax by a quarter-cent and raising in the income tax on the state's top-earners—teachers and administrators waved and called out to passing cars, eliciting supportive honks from nearby cars.
“Our schools are facing an ongoing and worsening crisis,” said Redondo Beach Teachers Association President Monica Joyce in a news release notifying reporters of the rally. “Our students and this community need Proposition 30 to stop even deeper cuts. We have already cut our school year by five days. The small amount Proposition 30 asks Californians to contribute is the only way to stop the loss of even more instructional days for our students.”
The teachers also stated their opposition to Proposition 32. According to Ballotpedia, Proposition 32 bans corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates; bans contributions by government contractors to politicians who award the contracts; and bans automatic deductions to employees' wages by corporations, unions and the government for political use.
Proposition 30 is not the only initiative that aims to increase funding for education.
The California State Parent-Teacher Association is throwing its support behind Proposition 38, Molly Munger's tax proposal that would increase state income tax rates for most Californians for 12 years. The Redondo Beach Joint Council of PTAs plans to host its own rally in favor of Proposition 38 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Alta Vista Park.
If neither Proposition 30 nor Proposition 38 pass, RBUSD could implement up to 17 furlough days.
In Tuesday's meeting, the school board voted unanimously to support both Propositions 30 and 38, in addition to Measure E, which is a bond measure that raises money for El Camino College. RBUSD has also placed its own Measure Q on November's ballot, a $63 million bond that will pay for classroom technology and solar panels.
