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Gov. Davis, come see how your budget cuts affect our schools

Anthony Chavez Berkeley
Thursday February 21, 2002

Editor: 

 

Perhaps Gov. Davis should come to our fair city and explain his justification for a $6 million cut in Berkeley schools. And maybe that town meeting could be held at City of Franklin School.  

This would give the governor a chance to show us how his Enron campaign contributions and wise energy policy have reaped economic and infrastructural benefits for Berkeley families with school aged children.  

At the same time Gov. Davis can explain how he is “working hard” to protect the state of california's credit rating after hitching it to the Enron wagon. The governor could also show how closing COF will “save” over $3 million during the next 10 years. While he is at it, the governor could run the numbers for us on how other school closings in California will give the state’s creditors a couple of hundred million more over the next 10 years.  

I think it would do the governor’s re-election campaign a lot of good to hold this meeting at COF school because it is pre-dominantly African American.  

Oh wait! What was I thinking?!?  

Maybe this isn't such a good idea. After all, COF school isn’t predominantly African American. It’s “racially unbalanced” as Superintendent Lawrence and some unnamed board members call it, according to Planet reporter David Schnarfenberg.  

And according to Board member Ted Schultz COF isn’t “running properly” either.  

Scratch the meeting idea. We wouldn’t want to embarass the governor.  

On second thought, let’s just get on with the rubber stamping the governor’s cuts and taking pride in Berkeley’s tradition of “racially balanced” (white?) political thinking.  

 

Anthony Chavez  

Berkeley