CFJ Students Discuss Budget Cuts

By Carla M. Collado
Staff Writer

Nine Long Beach high school students — members of Californians for Justice — announced the results yesterday (Wednesday) of a survey of residents regarding the looming state budget cuts on education. For instance, 75% of residents surveyed said they are directly affected or know someone who is directly affected by the proposed cuts.

The students surveyed 177 community members door-to-door in central and west Long Beach as part of a seven-week CFJ internship program they participated in this summer, explained Merete Fields, CFJ community organizer. The goal was to raise awareness among residents about the governor’s proposed $3.9 billion in cuts in K-14 education for the 2008-09 year and to get their thoughts on the issue, she said.

For five weeks, the students handed out the paper surveys and talked to residents about ways to approach the state government and fight the budget cuts. The survey touched upon issues such as the proposed elimination of childcare and foster care programs, the proposed increase in spending on prisons and juvenile facilities and proposed cuts in health care.

Survey results showed that: 86% of people surveyed disagree with a proposed law to spend more money on prisons and juvenile facilities; and 64% of people surveyed feel angry with the governor cutting programs such as help for abused and neglected children, foster care, childcare and development and food stamps for undocumented immigrants.

In addition to doing the surveys as part of the internship program, the nine students met with state senators and city council members to talk about the budget crisis. They also participated in weekly workshops to discuss different social issues such as racial justice, and visited various school sites to compare the environments and resources surrounding each of the schools, Fields said.

“They are power houses, they’re smart kids,” Fields said of the students.

CFJ is a statewide grassroots organization of students and parents who oppose the poor social, economic and political conditions faced by minorities and low-income students in California. This past May, a group of CFJ members visited Sacramento to rally against the budget cuts and met with 22 Democratic state legislators. Fields said the group also will be campaigning against the proposed budget cuts leading up to the November election.

“My biggest goal … is for my students to feel as though they’ve helped and contributed something to the community,” Fields said, “so more people are aware of the budget cuts and willing to be involved.”

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