Compiled by Mark Carney
The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning reported this past December 14th that California is at risk of a shortage of teachers due to the recent budget cuts and changes taking place in the educational bureaucracy in the last three years.
According to the report, California’s Teaching Force 2010, the planned cutbacks, amounting to more than $20 billion, will impair the state’s ability to recruit and train new teachers, thus endangering the quality of education to be received in the next few years by some 200,000 new students. Patrick Shields, director of SRI International, commented that the pool of available teachers in California is being drained off. “When the districts decide what to do, in terms of these budget cuts, they almost always choose not to hire teachers when there are vacant positions or to lay off teachers, which means that even though the number of students doesn’t change, the classroom size increases, “ he added.
Shields said that,” the cutbacks have made it hard for teachers to reach the increased expectations for academic performance,” and added that fewer people are choosing to embrace the teaching profession. The report foresees a reduction of 40 percent in the credentialing of teachers in the universities, which might cause state universities to cancel some teaching programs.
Brown announces restitution of $2.4 million to defrauded businesses
The offi ce of California Attorney General Edmund Brown announced a payment of $2.4 million by those responsible for an illegal scheme that threatened thousands of California companies with fines and even suspension of business licenses unless they turned in fraudulent forms along with the “obligatory” payment of a tax.
“The imposters used documents very similar to offi cial ones to obtain payment, “ Brown said. “This settlement ends the fraud and assures monetary restitution to the companies that were defrauded, “Brown added.
The offi ce had success last year when they managed to combine the cases of those responsible for the fraud in order to return the money to the affected businesses. The investigation determined that more than 5,000 businesses paid a $195 “tax” to this fraudulent organization established in Los Angeles County.
Assemblywoman Ma against Congestion Pricing
Fiona Ma, an assemblywoman representing the 12th District, which includes portions of San Mateo and San Francisco Counties, spoke out against the controversial proposal of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFTA) to charge drivers for entering and leaving downtown San Francisco.
Despite their recent revision of the proposal to permit free entrance and exit from San Mateo County, the SFTA proposal would still apply to drivers inside the city. “Working families cannot afford to pay outrageous fees just to drive from west of Twin Peaks to downtown. The SFTA should proceed with caution before approving any final congestion pricing plan. The reality is that many families have no other choice but to drive their children to school, soccer practice and the doctor’s offi ce, “ Ma said.
Ma has vowed to block passage of the law in the state legislature. (Translated by Mark Carney)
