STATE BUDGET INFORMATION

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The State Budget Crisis:

What Can You Do?

CTA has created a State Budget Crisis Resource Center on its website to provide you with the tools to fight the proposed budget cuts on the local level.

Log in to www.cta.org to find:

· Talking points in English and Spanish

· a Sample School Board Resolution

· a Sample Letter to the Editor

· a Sample Press Release

· a Sample Media Advisory

· and Other budget updates

All of these materials can be used when planning your own local event with your local education coalition.

Encourage other members, as well as friends and family, to visit cta.org to watch our flash video, "It Hurts," about how these proposed cuts will hurt our students and public schools. While on the cta.org home page visitors can e-mail the video to friends and e-mail their lawmakers encouraging them to reject the governor's proposal.

From CTA Budget Watch 2008 03.18.08

Congratulations to Maria Volpe, this year's WHO award winner

(We Honor Ours). Thank you Maria for your tireless work for the

Association.

Possible Parcel Tax

The district is looking at the possibility of putting a parcel tax on the ballot in November. This would raise much needed money for our district if it passes, but teachers would have to do a lot of the work (e.g. phone banking) to make sure our community understands the benefits. Polling is currently being done. When the results of that polling are in Reps will be asked to vote whether or not to support the parcel tax. Stay tuned for further developments.