Trim the fat in the local school budget

The citizens of California cannot ignore the education budget any longer. There is no magic bullet that will solve the shortfall in state funding.

I offer the following partial solutions:

•Cut the state "Tobacco Use Prevention Education." Parents need to do more in this area. This would save $19 million.

•Cut the state "Deferred Maintenance" program. This would save $162 million. If local communities want their schools in better physical condition, they will have to pass local bond measures.

•Cut the state Professional Development Block Grant for one year. Savings: $135 million.

•Cut new Teacher Credential Block Grant. If all the probationary teachers are going to be laid off, this program is unnecessary. Savings: $129 for one year.

This saves $445 million, or about 10 percent of the total cuts proposed by the governor. It's a start.

For immediate savings, each local school board must commit to shaving its central administrative costs by 20 percent. No offcampus employee, other than the superintendent, should earn more than an assistant principal.

Local districts must examine sharing certain functions, such as maintenance, bulk purchasing.

Each district must find the way to keep class size in grades K2 under 23 per class, and under 28 in grade three.

With all of these suggestions, there will be still be a need to raise taxes, statewide. I suggest we begin by taxing lottery winnings. Millionaires will still be millionaires. Capital gains should not be taxed at a lower level than wage income. The sacred car tax needs to be reconsidered.

By all means, citizens, write your local state legislator and let him/her know that you find education budget cuts unacceptable.

By all means, attend the local protest events being planned. Ed Kaz Oak Park