Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff
A coalition of grassroots groups and individuals rep- resenting thousands of low- income students and parents from across California is suing the State of Califor- nia over a school funding system that the Governor’s own Committee on Educa- tion Excellence said is “not equitable;…not efficient; and…not suffi cient for stu- dents who face the greatest challenges.”
The lawsuit calls on the State to live up to its constitutional responsibility and “provide all California public school students with a new school fi nance system that suffi ciently and equitably supports its public schools, so that every child has a reasonable opportunity to obtain a meaningful educa- tion that prepares them for civic, social, and economic success in the 21st century,” said a coalition’s written statement.
The complaint makes two main legal claims under the California Constitution: 1) that the State’s school funding system fails to pro- vide children with an oppor- tunity to obtain a meaningful education, in violation of the Education Clause, and 2) and that it violates the equal protection clauses.
“We’re asking the court to declare the current fund- ing system unconstitutional and to order that a new one be created,” said Howard Rice partner Marty Glick. “Our funding system must be aligned to the actual costs of preparing students for college and careers and to individual student needs
Chabot College adds fall semester welding classes
Chabot College has good news for students who want to take welding classes this fall semester.
Due to a campus con- struction schedule change, previously cancelled classes now will be offered in the college’s popular welding program.
Fall semester welding classes include Introduction to Welding, Welding Lay-out and Fitting, ARC/Flux Core/Blueprint, TIG/MIG, Welding Inspection, Skills Laboratory, Certification Preparation, and Welding for Artists. Class meeting times include day, evening, and Saturdays.
Street parks program provides free gardening and cooking workshops
On Saturday, July 24, 2010, residents with an inter-est in gardening and growing their own food will meet at Visitacion Valley Greenway for Dig in San Francisco, a free gardening workshop where they will learn how to grow fruits and vegetables with skills they learn, such as composting, planting and garden maintenance. In ad- dition, a guest chef will be on hand to demonstrate how to cook using fresh garden vegetables.
The Department of Pub-lic Works (DPW) is partnering with the American Community Gardening Association and San Francisco Parks Trust in order to advance Mayor Newsom’s initiatives that encourage urban gardening and healthy and local eating habits. The workshop is sponsored by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi.
DPW’s Street Parks Pro-gram, which allows residents to adopt and maintain public land for landscaping and gardening, currently has more than 100 project areas com- plete or under development.
“There is a lot of op- portunity to grow food on these properties, and we want to not only encourage people to become stewards of the land, but to grow food there. This workshop helps us teach everyone how it’s done and what the ben- efits to their communities and their health are,” said Mohammed Nuru, Deputy Director for Operations at DPW.
