Fairfield Daily Republic

Hundreds head to Sacramento in protest
By Audrey Wong
May 21, 2005

FAIRFIELD - Harry Axhelm says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't fulfill his promises to schools and plans to make his discontent known in Sacramento Wednesday.

"I'm just fed up with people saying one thing that they stand for then reneging on promises," said Axhelm, a Travis School Board member. "Schools were promised (to be paid back) $2 billion this year and the state has gotten higher than expected revenues. Instead of giving to schools, the governor has gone back on his word."

Axhelm will be among hundreds of Solano County residents who will join a rally at the state capitol protesting the governor's budgeting plans and proposed special election. Besides educators, firefighters, nurses and others will gather at the event.

A Los Angeles rally will be held the same day as the Sacramento one. Both demonstrations are sponsored by Alliance for a Better California, a coalition of 2 million public workers, community groups and others.

Teachers, school board members, school administrators, parents, students and school employees from Solano and Napa counties will pack buses, ride trains or carpool to the rally, said Patty Arvin of the Napa/Solano chapter of the California Teachers Association.

Arvin said 950 passengers will ride on 21 buses and 130 will travel by other means. The demonstrators' slogan is "Education cuts never heal" is accompanied by a picture of a school house with a band aid over it.

Educators who oppose Schwarzenegger say he neglected to pay back the $2 billion he borrowed from education last year. They also say the governor is underfunding school spending under Proposition 98 which guarantees a certain revenue level for education.

The governor has also proposed to transfer the state's 2 percent contribution to teachers' pensions and saddle it on school districts. He also wants to extend teacher probationary periods from two to five years.

"It seems like he is going after the working people," Arvin said. "He attacked our classroom funding which is really big. It hurts kids a lot, it hurts the parents, it hurts everybody."

On Monday, demonstrators will have a sign-making party at the teachers' association office in Central Way in Fairfield.