School Employees Seek to Preserve Programs that Keep Schools Working

(SACRAMENTO, CA) –Over 200 classified school employees rallied today to call attention to threats to school safety, maintenance, and other critical services under Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts to education. The school employees, members of SEIU’s Local 99, were joined by Assemblymember Kevin De León, Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and Senator Gil Cedillo.

Despite the Governor’s recent claims, education faces $4.3 billion dollars in cuts in the revised budget. Many of these cuts would reduce core programs that ensure that California’s school children attend clean, safe, hygienic, and functional schools. There have been recent reports, for instance, of schools not planning to carry out their usual summer maintenance programs.

“In my district, several custodians have been laid off because of the budget cuts,” said Isidro Herrera, a custodian and a member of SEIU Local 99. “That means classrooms won’t be as clean, bathrooms won’t be scrubbed as often, and repairs will have to wait. Children can’t learn in a dirty school. Children can’t learn in a poor environment.”

 “It’s time for my colleagues to stand up and be counted,” said Assemblymember Kevin de León. “You can’t say that you’re for education and functional, well-maintained schools if you don’t support making the necessary investment.”

School employees insisted that schools cannot afford further cuts to already overstretched cleaning, maintenance, classroom assistance, and other programs and will call on the Governor to avoid further cuts to education.