LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the potential for damaging cuts looming due to the threat of sequestration, Lake County's superintendent of schools is urging members of Congress to take immediate action.
On Tuesday Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook, contacted Congressman Mike Thompson and Congressman John Garamendi, urging them to immediately act to stop federal sequestration.
Holbrook's office said sequestration would wield another blow to education, adding to the more than $18 billion in cuts that education has suffered over the last four years.
If Congress does not take action, this Friday the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration are scheduled to take effect, Holbrook's office reported. Young children and families across the nation have much to lose if the fiscal cliff isn't resolved by March 1.
According to the California Association for the Education of Young children, some of the impacts to young children include:
- 70,000 young children would lose Head Start/Early Head Start early learning services;
- 30,000 children and families could lose child care;
- 600,000 low-income, nutritionally at risk, pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children would lose WIC nutrition assistance;
- 125,000 low income families would lose rental housing vouchers, increasing housing instability that is detrimental to young children's development.
Young children aren't the only ones who will be impacted; Lake County school districts have much to lose as well.
Michelle Buell, Lake County Office of Education's senior director of business services, listed the following funding reductions Lake County school districts will be faced with if the 5.3 percent sequestration cuts are allowed to occur:
- Kelseyville: $51,369;
- Konocti: $205,796;
- Lakeport: $51,583;
- Middletown: $40,017;
- Lucerne: $10,676;
- Upper Lake Elementary: $22,636;
- Upper Lake High School: $9,578;
- LCOE: $86, 535;
- Total reduction to Lake County education funding: $478,190.
According to Holbrook, this represents a reduction in per pupil funding of $52.27, and he urged Thompson and Garamendi to do all they can to protect the most vulnerable students from losing critical support needed, particularly students with disabilities, students in poverty and English learners.
According to a White House brief released Tuesday, if sequestration were to take effect, the impacts on California in this year alone are:
– Teachers and schools: California will lose approximately $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 1,210 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 187,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 320 fewer schools would receive funding.
– Education for children with disabilities: In addition, California will lose approximately $62.9 million in funds for about 760 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with disabilities.
– Work-study jobs: Around 9,600 fewer low income students in California would receive aid to help them finance the costs of college and around 3,690 fewer students will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college.
– Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 8,200 children in California, reducing access to critical early education.
Superintendent Holbrook urged community members to contact their representatives and urge them to act to prevent sequestration in the interest of protecting communities.