SAN FRANCISCO (AP) " California's public schools already trail most states in academic performance, suffer from high dropout rates and struggle to improve the performance of black and Hispanic students.
Now they face a historic state budget deficit that is expected to force deep cuts in education funding that will lead to thousands of teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, school closures and a shortened school year.
"Simply put, additional cuts to public education would be paralyzing," Jack O'Connell, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, said Friday. "We think about having a world-class education system. These cuts would bring us a Third World education system."
O'Connell said schools will lose counselors, nurses and librarians. They are also likely to cut athletic programs as well as classes in art, music and career technical education.
"They want our kids to have a good education yet they're denying them full access to their learning by doing layoffs, increasing class size and cutting programs," said Cynthia Velasco, 34, who was dropping off her daughter at Sunrise Elementary School in Rancho Cordova near Sacramento on Friday.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said this week that California faces a $15.4 billion deficit for the fiscal year that starts July 1. That shortfall will grow to $21.3 billion if voters do not approve five budget-related measures in next Tuesday's election. Recent polls show all of them trailing.
Schwarzenegger's budget also calls for shortening the school year by five to 7.5 days " an unprecedented move in California.
"It's just completely devastating," said Bob Wells, who heads the Association of California School Administrators. "It puts a great number of our students at risk."
There already have been painful cuts. The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District voted last month to lay off as many as 2,400 teachers and 2,000 other personnel to deal with a $596 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year. On Friday, dozens of people were arrested outside district headquarters for blocking traffic during a protest.