Calif. budget cuts silence teacher's success
LOS ANGELES - The performing arts program at
It's won a wall of awards, and was invited to play at this year's Monterey Jazz Festival. Teacher James Foschia has orchestrated its success for six years.
Despite all the success, Foschia got laid off.
Rallies to cap week of Calif. teacher protests
"I did get a pink slip on March 11th, four days after winning Western States," said Foschia.
The program is in jeopardy -- unless Hamilton High School's principal, Gary Garcia, finds a replacement for Foschia.
"Unless I can find somebody to replace that program, which is very unlikely, I'm closing down," said Garcia.
With the state slashing almost $2 million from the budget, principal Garcia will have to cut 23 of 104 staff positions.
"Since 2005, our dollar cuts have been around 70 percent in the amount of money that I have to spend in the classroom," said Garcia. "Everybody's doing two or three jobs, including the teachers. It's a challenge to serve our students."
It's even a challenge 12 miles up the road in affluent, suburban San Marino. The schools are rated the best in the state and residents are paying to keep it that way. Faced with drastic state cuts, residents voted twice to raise property taxes -- more than $1,000 a household. They passed bond measures, held fund raisers, bake sales. They raised more than $4 million for the schools this year and saved teachers and programs.
"Good schools keep property values up. People want to move here. We're becoming a semi-private district, 70 percent funded by public entities and 30 percent funded by our community," said Gary Woods, superintendent.
But with the state cutting $10 million from the district's budget the last two years, all the private fundraising is barely keeping the schools afloat.
"We want a level of excellence here and we're willing to sacrifice, but it's getting to the point where it's almost unbearable," said Woods.
