As you know, in less than one month, Gov. Newsom will issue his budget proposal for 2022-23, known as the May Revise. We have received some encouraging updates today, and know that these weeks leading up to the May Revise are critical. Gov. Newsom is in the position to include a solution in his budget proposal to reinstate the funding our schools have lost when students have had to quarantine this school year. Failure to do so would result in tens of millions of lost funds for our students.
While we’re thankful that COVID-19 cases have dropped throughout the state and quarantine-related absences have decreased recently, the financial consequences of quarantine aren’t over. The Los Angeles Times
found nearly half of LAUSD students missed at least 9% of the school year. School systems throughout the state “have seen large increases in chronic absenteeism, fueled largely by COVID-19 quarantine policies.” While traditional public schools have been held harmless from the financial consequences of absenteeism, this deluge of absences has created a drought of resources for public charter students.
Gov. Newsom and our elected officials must act now. Thanks to coalition members like you, we’ve raised our voices to call for a solution ahead of the May Revise. Nearly 30 leaders signed this
letter and sent it to Gov. Newsom, all members of the California State Legislature and Superintendent Tony Thurmond.
But we still need your help to keep this issue front and center for Gov. Newsom and our representatives. Here’s what you can do:
- Post the coalition letter on your organization’s social media channels. While our team distributed this letter at the Capitol, we can raise awareness via our social media channels.
- Participate in Advocacy Day. On May 3, families and educators will go to the Capitol to meet with legislators. Throughout this campaign, we’ve been amazed by the families making time to advocate on behalf of public charter students throughout California. We’re eager to hear how their personal stories impact legislators’ actions.
- Share the petition. When meeting with legislators, it’s important to speak up for the nearly 2,500 of people who have signed the Cost of Quarantine petition. Please consider sharing the petition to raise awareness and gain more signatures as we meet with legislators (English petition here; Spanish petition here).
We are sincerely thankful to each of you for your tireless dedication to our students. Thank you for advocating for a statewide solution for all.
Best,
Mala Batra
CEO
