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Schools

Hundreds of Long Beach Parents and Kids Attend Rally for Public Education

Parents and educators from Belmont Shore and across the city turn out to support the tax revenue extension measure that could dramatically change the financial outlook for California schools.

Hundreds of Long Beach parents, teachers and kids assembled at Longfellow Elementary School in the hot sun late Tuesday afternoon to bring awareness to the dire fiscal condition of California’s public schools.

Music blasted on the PA system in an upbeat atmosphere as attendees  lined up at the information booth to sign petitions and get postcards to send to their representatives; the cards demanded that public education get the funding that is needed to educate the largest population of students in the country.

Many carried signs with slogans like, “Our kids deserve better!” The overall push is to get the California State Legislature to pass the Tax Extension bill that Governor Brown is lobbying for, with avid support from teacher unions, school districts and the California PTA.

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The crowd was attentive and focused on the speakers who were there to call for action. Speakers included Mike Day, outgoing TALB president, Michael Morgan, the current Long Beach Council PTA president, as well as his predecessor Diana Craighead, and invited guest LBUSD Superintendent Chris Steinhauser. All echoed the same message—that everyone present at the rally should contact state legislators and encourage them to vote for school funds. Former California Assemblywoman Betty Karnette hit the high note among rally speakers with her positive and specific instructions to rally-goers, telling them to talk really loud when you are in a restaurant so your neighbors will hear about the situation schools are in. She also directed the crowd to call everyone they know in other areas of California to have them contact legislators. 


The rally was organized in a short two-week timeframe by several parents in the Long Beach area in conjunction with the statewide organization called Educate Our State. The group called for a statewide, multi-city day of action supporting K-12 public education and raising awareness of the need for legislators to pass the revenue extension measures now before them. Concurrent demonstrations were taking place in L.A. and beyond.

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The Educate Our State website, http://www.educateourstate.org/, has many tools and references for interested individuals and groups who would like to assist in the effort. Currently California public schools have endured brutal budget cuts in the billions over the last three years, already laying off tens of thousands of qualified teachers, and now rank 44th in per pupil spending in the U.S.

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