CALIFORNIA STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, TOM TORLAKSON VISITED PATRICK
HENRY HIGH SCHOOL TODAY TO CAMPAIGN PROP 30.
WELCOME TO EVENING EDITION.
EARLIER TODAY YOU DROPPED BY PATRICK HENRY HIGH SCHOOL IN PART BECAUSE THEY HAVE QUITE
A TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM.
WHAT DID YOU SEE THERE?
>> >>TOM TORLAKSON: WE SAW ENGAGED STUDENTS, ARTICULATE, WORK IN TEAMS, COMMUNICATING WELL
HANDS ON, ONE WAS A CAREER ACADEMY IN ENGINEERING AND ANOTHER IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CAREERS CHILD
CARE OR TEACHING.
>> >>PEGGY: THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF THE STRONG SCHOOL, STRONG ECONOMY PROGRAM.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY WORK FORCE.
HOW DOES IT DO THAT?
>> >>TOM TORLAKSON: THEY IS HAVE TO DO HANDS ON.
THE ENGINEERS, THE STUDENTS WHO WILL BEE BECOME OUR FUTURE ENGINEERS HAVE THESE COOL PROGRAMS
THEY'RE LEARNING THE ART OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE, AND THEY HAVE HANDS ON EXPERIENCE.
SO THIS IS WHAT EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING, FOR TEAMWORK ALSO.
THE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND WHY THEY HAVE TO DO THE MATH AND THE SCIENCE.
>> >>PEGGY: HOW DIFFERENT IS THIS FROM LET'S SAY COLLEGE PREP PROGRAMS OR ALSO SOME VOCATIONAL
SCHOOLS DARE I SAY FROM YEARS PAST?
>> >>TOM TORLAKSON: THIS IS MORE INTEGRATED.
SO YOU DO LOOK THAT CROSS DISCIPLINARY SCHOOLS, INSTEAD OF IN A SILO, YOU STUDY APPLIED APPLIED
MATHEMATICS.
YOU STUDY PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY AS IT RELATES TO GREEN ENERGY, GLOBAL WARMINGÊ IT FITS
EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
YOUR LITERATURE AND READINGS TIE IN THEMATICALLY TO THE PATHWAY YOUR ACADEMY IS IN.
>> >>PEGGY: IMMERSED IN THIS STATEWIDE TOUR YOU'VE BEEN TALKING TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS
ABOUT PROPOSITION 31 AND LINKING IT TO THISÊ PROP 30 EXCUSE ME, WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE ABOUT
THAT?
>> >>TOM TORLAKSON: I SAY PROP 30 IS A WAY TO REINVEST IN OUR SCHOOLS.
ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO CALIFORNIANS WERE PAYING ANOTHER 5 TO 6ÊMILLION DOLLARS IN
TAXES.
THAT MONEY WENT SUNSET, STOPPED.
SCHOOLS HAVE LOST 25% OF THEIR FUNDING AND FACE ANOTHER 10% OF THEIR FUNDING TO BE ELIMINATED.
PROGRAMS LIKE I SAW TODAY COULD BE DISMANTLED.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT AROUND THE STATE SCHOOL YEAR BEING SHORTENED BY TWO, THREE, OR FOUR
WEEKS.
THAT'S UNTHINKABLE.
>> >>PEGGY: I WANT TO SAY IN AN EARLIER INTERVIEW ABOUT PROP 30 WE SPOKE WITH CHRIS KATE WITH
THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY TAX PAYERS ASSOCIATION.
HE ADVISED REJECTING BOTH PROP 30 AND 38.
WE ALREADY HAVE THE HAVE THE SECOND HIGHEST TAX RATE IN THE COUNTRY, RATHER THAN WASTING
TIME ENERGY AND MONEY ON THINGS LIKE HIGH SPEED RAIL OR OTHER PET PROJECTS THEY WANT
TO GET DONE.
>> >>PEGGY: BASICALLY HE WAS SAYING THAT YOU KNOW THIS IS MONEY THAT COULDÊ THIS IS SPECIAL
INTEREST BASICALLY THIS PET PROJECT.
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO CRITICISM THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE PET PROJECTS?
>> >>TOM TORLAKSON: I WANT TO SAY WHAT OUR SPECIAL PROJECT IS, IS OUR KIDS.
IT'S THE SIX MILLION STUDENTS, THE STUDENTS IN OUR SAN DIEGO SCHOOLS F.THEY NEED HELP,
NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK OF THE BUDGET CRISIS IN SACRAMENTO, WE'RE SAYING RESTORE THE MONEY
WE USED TO INVEST JUST A YEAR AND A HALF AGO INTO OUR SCHOOLS.
BRING US BACK TO THAT LEVEL.
WE'RE A DISGRACEFUL 47TH IN THE NATION IN PEER PUPIL SPENDING.
THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION IS GETTING ABOUT $6,000 PER PUPIL.
MASSACHUSETTS, CONNECTICUT, THEY'RE AT 12, 13,000 DOLLARS PER PUPIL.
THEY'RE PUT N VESTING IN OUR KIDS.
>> >>PEGGY: UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE OUT OF TIME.
I WANT TO LET VIEWERS KNOW THEY CAN LIS TOON AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH YOU ON OUR WEBSITE,
KPBS.ORG.
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, TOM TORLAKSON.