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Berkeley Unified School District PTA members made their district proud when they formed the largest contingent at the “Flunk the Budget” California State PTA rally in Sacramento Thursday. 

More than 100 parents and community members took two buses and 10 cars to the state capital Thursday morning to protest against proposed state education budget cuts and lobby legislators to increase revenue. 

They were joined on the State Capitol steps by their peers from Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles, Alameda and several other cities in sending the message “Flunk the Budget, Not our Children,” to legislators. 

“It was very inspirational,” said Berkeley PTA Council President Cathryn Bruno, who helped mobilize the Sacramento trip. “We urged legislators to increase tax revenue by reinstating the vehicle license fee, closing the Yacht Tax loophole and introducing a progressive tax. Education is the basis of democracy, people in Sacramento need to understand that.” 

California State PTA spokesperson Lindsay Shoemaker told the Planet that 400 people from 12 PTA districts statewide had joined in the rally. 

“California’s future depends on our governor and state legislators doing the right thing and investing more in our children, not less,” state PTA President Pam Brady said at the rally. 

Brady called on the governor and legislators to solve the state’s budget crisis with a balanced approach. 

The proposed state education budget cuts threaten to cut foster care programs, child welfare services, CalWORKS programs, children’s health care programs, Medi-Cal, early childhood education, and juvenile rehabilitation and crime prevention grants. 

Fifteen of the 18 school districts in Alameda County face negative certification as a result of the proposed cuts. 

Although Berkeley Unified was successful is rescinding the pink slips issued to 46 of 55 teachers, it still faces a $3.2 million budget cut—which would affect after school programs, among others. 

“What the rally shows is there is somewhat of a coalition, a united effort on the part of the school district, parents and unions to stop the cuts from happening,” School Board President John Selawsky told the Planet.  

Selawsky said he met with three Republican aides in Sacramento after the rally who had informed him Republican legislators had agreed not to suspend the former Prop. 98—a voter-approved statute that established a minimum level of funding for California schools—as the governor proposes. 

“If that’s true that’s very good,” said Selawsky. 

School districts across the state are getting ready for a bigger student rally in Sacramento on May 15 to protest the proposed cuts.