Voices Neighborhood Council

Continuing the Fight for Public Education

Posting on behalf of SCOPE.

Over the past month, we have joined community groups, labor partners, and leaders across the city in educating and mobilizing voters around Measure EE. With your help, our organization reached over 15,000 voters this past month. Although Measure EE did not pass yesterday, our conversations with community members brought about one forgotten truth—it didn’t always used to be like this.
From talking to community members Ignacio Gutierrez and Carolyn Riley who attended South LA public schools during the 1950s and 1960s, we know that at one point, supplies and textbooks were abundant and class sizes were small in public schools. Students had electives galore to choose from and after-school programs provided safe places for kids with working parents to play and study. As Ms. Riley put it, “People wanted their kids to go to South LA public schools over other neighborhoods.”

However, the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 allowed corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes and in doing so, has drained our schools of billions of dollars in critical funding. To put this into perspective, in 1970 California ranked among the top ten states for per pupil funding and in 2017, California was ranked 41st in per pupil spending. For the past forty years, Prop 13 has meant that our state has prioritized the needs of corporations above children and youth. However, we have the opportunity to re-prioritize, close this corporate loophole, and finally invest in our kids by passing Schools and Communities First in 2020.

Although this ballot measure is on next year’s ballot, we must start laying the groundwork for a victory now. If you’re interested in learning more or sharing your own Prop 13 story, join us as we ignite, inspire, and build towards 2020.

In Solidarity,
SCOPE