The California Education Coalition, made up of unions and school administration associations, say schools can’t open safely with proposed budget cuts

Representatives from California teachers and employee unions, and associations representing school boards and school administrators, all agree on one thing — schools can’t reopen safely with the funding proposed in the state’s May budget revision.

California schools are facing a $19 billion reduction in funding from that proposed in the January budget, said Sara Bachez, chief governmental relations officer for the California Association of School Business Officials.

This could result in schools laying off an estimated 58,000 teachers, 125,000 classified employees and could increase class sizes by 19 percent, Bachez said.

“The deep cuts to public education will stand in the way of preparing our schools for the safe return of students and our educators, and it’s going to further prolong the economic recovery since this pandemic,” said E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Association.

He and other members of the California Education Coalition, a group of nine statewide associations that advocate for education, urged state legislators to reject the proposed budget cuts to education and to prioritize funding for schools in a video press conference Thursday.

State lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom have until June 15 to negotiate and pass a budget.

Schools need more money to bring students back to school during the pandemic, not less, said Jeff Frietas, president of the California Federation of Teachers.

“Until we have a vaccine, there are many steps to safely reopen schools in person,” he said. “We must continue social distancing. We need to provide personal protective equipment. We need to clean. We need clean and safe environments. This all means smaller class sizes, which can only happen with more teachers. It means more bus runs, which can only happen with more bus drivers and buses. It means more cleaning, which can only happen with more custodians and cleaning supplies. It means more nurses and psychologists to help the physical and mental health concerns of our students.”