Education Initiative Translated into Armenian, Hmong, Russian and More

Flyers and explanations of the Education Initiative which the PTA is trying to get on the ballot is now being translated into various languages.

The new versions (also attached below) for the "Our Children, Our Future" initiative is now in Armenian, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Russian and traditional Chinese as well as Spanish and English.

Here's the story, and links to different versions are attached. Click on the link at the bottom of the story for more information.

Local mom and Legislation Director for the 31^stDistrict PTSA,  Heidi Brewington said that when finding out about the "Our Children, Our Future" Education Initiative, she had to get involved. 

Brewington told a group of PTA parents at a local Denny's that "California State PTA is supporting the initiative,  but we cannot collect signatures on school grounds…  Moms and dads are spending millions of dollars trying to fill in the gaps already and we are seeing cut after cut after cut after cut," she ticks them off on her hands and said, "I have no more fingers to cut."

Despite other initiatives planned for the ballot this year, the California State PTA is supporting this one, and the 31st District PTSA is encouraging each school in it’s district (throughout San Fernando Valley, including Sun Valley and Tujunga area) to come up with at least 50 signatures of registered voters in order to help the Our Children, Our Future 2012 initiative make it onto the November ballot.

Parents and PTA reps from across the San Fernando Valley asked questions and concerns. Many of the answers are detailed on the website: www.OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com.

Lisa Stevenson, from the initiative, answered concerns that in this economic climate, it's too much to ask for a tax increase. She said the revenues come from increasing personal income tax rates on all but the lowest income brackets, from 2013 to 2024.

"Also, the money would go directly to the school sites, not to the governor or Sacramento," Stevenson said. "It would be local control of the money."

The money can't be used for buildings, or raises or benefits of faculty. Looming budget cuts could require more teachers being laid off and more cuts in classes, or increasing class sizes. California is at 47th in the nation for per-pupil funding and has some of the largest class sizes, according to the initiative website.

There is also a widget (http://ocof.advanceproj.org/widget.php) that allows people to see how much their schools will get with this initiative.

would get:

$665,105 in 2013-2014

$1,156,982 by 2017-2018 and

$1,565,209 by 2023-2024

 would get:

$1,639,502 in 2013-2014

$2,851,994 in 2017-2018 and

$3,858,286 in 2023-2024.

The money would reach the schools as quickly as 2013. 

"We would all know where this money is going, too," Stevenson said.

The petition campaign is not online; it must be actual printed petitions. PTA representatives at local schools may have copies of the petition, but they can also be received by contactinginfo@ourchildrenourfuture2012.com or Heidi Brewington at heidibptsa@gmail.com.

Click here for more info: www.OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com.