Education? Only for those whose parents can afford it!

Apr 14, 2003

When California Governor Gray Davis announced deep cuts in the state's education budget, many school districts announced that they would cut classes, sometimes even entire programs, and lay off teachers and other workers.

Parents in some well-to-do districts immediately reacted, starting fund-raising drives to "save our schools," raising in some cases as much as one million dollars within a few weeks.

Working class districts may have seen fund-raising drives also – but there's one big difference: working class parents don't have millionaire and billionaire friends, nor do they have direct access to the offices of big corporate CEOs.

Forcing the schools to raise their own money can only widen the already existing gap between well-to-do and working-class school districts. And it continues down the road staked out by "vouchers" and "charter schools," aiming to move the country's public school system towards privatization – in effect, if not in name.