Trump is Stomping All Over the Central Valley
By Neftaly Gonzalez
Despite being responsible for producing one fourth of the Nation's agriculture in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy, the Central Valley is often a forgotten landscape of California. Sure, you might be familiar with Stockton and Bakersfield, but within that four hour stretch lie over 200 towns, mixed with more unincorporated communities than recognized ones. Growing up in the small farming towns of the San Joaquin Valley, I always knew there were racial, financial, and education disparities in the K-12 system I attended. However, it was not until I arrived at UC Berkeley that I became aware of how uncommon it was to meet fellow students who had also come from a Central Valley background. Conversing with peers, it seemed that many of them from Northern and Southern California received a vast amount of educational advancement programs, such as more personal school counseling sessions, free college trips to universities across the state, or information for summer camp programing in their K-12 schools. This was partially due to local legislation that passed funding laws that created pockets of “private public schools”, similar to that of the Piedmont neighborhood in Oakland. This neighborhood is considered a safe heaven from fluctuating education funding as a result of its wealthier residents passing local laws permitting parcel taxes to be used for local schools funds. Until we begin prioritizing our students over corporations, the majority of California districts will continue to suffer year to year based on the states financial deficit.
After returning to my hometown, I am drastically reminded of the need for education funding. The current Presidential administration continues to impose federal funding freezes in public sectors, threatening essential funding for our education departments that impacts K-12 schools nationwide. This has increased fear and uncertainty for many people working in educational fields, including organizations aimed at recruiting and supporting students for teacher residency programs. Just this week, the Department of Education Cancelled over $600 million dollars in grants for pipeline programs because many of them emphasize teacher diversity, a statement not in line with the new administration's policies.
One of these programs exists in my own hometown, known as the the Teacher Residency for Rural Education (TRRE) Project that works in partnership with local colleges to financially support graduate students with a living stipend ($40,000) while earning their teaching credential. Despite recently securing a federal grant that would ensure the continuance of the program for another five years, the current (fifth) cohort will be the last group of teacher residents to complete the program.
As a substitute teacher, I see firsthand the impact of the California teacher shortage, leading to the instability of students' classroom instruction. While teaching in high school classrooms, I’ve heard students say “another sub today”, later sharing that their permanent teacher has been out. Some even share that they have had temporary substitutes as the position for that subject continues to be vacant even more than half way through the school year. Oddly enough, while the need to fill these roles became increasingly crucial the school district recently cut three Behavioral Aide positions due to “limited funding”, something that has even impacted my grandmother.
Once again, I feel like the land of the Central Valley has been forgotten, but more so the teachers and students who live here who now need your support for education funding more than ever. We should NOT have to rely on federal funding to ensure the future prosperity of our students. It is time for Californians to demand Prop. 13 reform, not only for the benefit of our youth’s education, but for increased employment opportunities for current and future teachers.