Parents taking stand in budget battle

Anneke Cole arrived extra early Thursday morning at John Gill Elementary School in Redwood City to drop off her daughter, a second- grader, and then catch other parents arriving with their children.

Carrying clipboards and pens, Cole asked the adults to sign letters opposing the proposed statewide budget cuts to public schools. She didn't have to do much persuading.

"The letters are expressing our serious concern to what the cuts would mean to the future of our children," said Cole, the PTA president at John Gill.

Cole is part of a letter-signing campaign spearheaded by PTAs in the Redwood City School District, urging state leaders to spare schools.

It's just one example of how the potential massive education cuts have galvanized parents and community groups in San Mateo County and elsewhere to step up fundraising and other efforts for schools.

Parents, students and others are also rallying on the streets and packing school board meetings in a show of solidarity behind teachers and programs in danger of being lost.

Such actions show parents "getting behind something for the common good," said Jo-Ann Sockolov,PTA president at Clifford Elementary in Redwood City. "It's getting out from the framework of 'my child, my school' to what's good for all of our children, our families, our community and our economic future."

Although the state budget may seem an overwhelming challenge to tackle for individual families, grassroots initiatives such as the letter campaign can make community members feel they still can do their part.

Those measures show "we can contribute to this whole effort," Sockolov said. "It's an amazing unifying force."

So far, the letter campaign has gathered about 4,000 signatures with the goal of at least

8,000, she said. "A lot of the letters are coming back signed by not just parents, but students."

Organizers are considering having a group of parents and students travel to Sacramento and deliver stacks of signed letters to the Legislature, she said.

"We hope the message causes legislators to see how much a priority this is in thousands of their constituents' lives," Sockolov said.

The campaign also has a blog called Empowered Parents Unite to let families express their thoughts and concerns about the school budget crisis, she said.

According to the Redwood City district, its schools face cuts of $3.9 million in the next academic year because of the state's fiscal problems.

In the last five years, the Mill-brae School District has cut $1.8 million from its budget and dropped music programs, instructional aides and other staff.

"So we've had pains already," said Svetlana Vaksberg, co-chair of the Friends of Excellent Millbrae Schools, a group of parents who back a parcel-tax measure on the June ballot. "Now with the governor's proposed cuts, it has reinforced for us to do more of what we've been doing."

The Friends is raising funds for a campaign to educate parents about the district's needs and draw their support for the proposed $78 parcel tax, Vaksberg said.

During a recent packed and emotional board meeting in the San Bruno Park School District, community members rallied to persuade trustees from possibly axing principals and other employees.

San Bruno Park is still looking at an estimated

$1.4million budget reduction.

But the San Bruno Education Foundation has launched a project to try to stem some of the potential damage.

"We need to raise funds in order to avoid what those big cuts will be," said foundation President Patrick Flynn.

The goal is to raise

$300,000, Flynn said, "but it might end up more than that."

The project seeks as many $300 pledges as it can get. Its success will hinge on teaming up with local PTAs and others in the community, Flynn said. "I'm going to PTA meetings. I'm going up (to the school board) and telling the public to put your money where your mouth is."

In the South San Francisco Unified School District -- which may need to slash more than $5million, a group of parents and students recently held a rally outside Los Cerritos Elementary to protest the state's proposed cost-cutting budget.

David Grandov, one of the protesters, said he believes parents can influence the budget process in favor of education just because of their numbers.

"Parents need to speak out and make sure the community is listening and the legislators are listening," said Grandov, whose daughter attends a district school. "That's why we've come out tonight as we have other times to make sure we're heard."

Drawing Grandov and other parents' ire is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recommended state budget in January that included cuts of $4.5 billion from K-12 schools for 2008-09 and $360 million this fiscal year.

"The governor understands these proposed cuts are tough," said Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger. "It's difficult but a necessary step to bring our spending and revenues in line."