Grace Elam

I began my freshman year with approximately 600 students across all four grades. By the time I graduated, the school had a student population of 800: a 30% increase in just four years. We received no additional classrooms, which meant that class sizes also increased by a third in just the four years that I attended. Classrooms were already overcrowded when I was admitted, so I can only imagine how much worse it was for the freshman four years later. Also as a result of the unprecedented expansion, the staff turnover rates were ridiculous: in each of the four years that I attended, at least two new teachers were hired, which led to switching up classes in the middle of the semester and immeasurable chaos as far as curriculum was concerned. Additionally, counselors were completely overwhelmed: no student felt sufficiently supported by the administrative staff, simply because the staff was stretched too thin across the growing population.

Inga Davis

I noticed a huge gap in educational opportunities when I returned to California in 1979. In particular my high school was bare bones. We didn't have a full time school librarian or school nurse and besides sports, there were few other extra curricular opportunities. My teachers were often talking about their lack of adequate compensation. I believe that not only myself, but many of my friends, lost opportunities to explore, art, music, and other important elements of education. There was no college counseling and I felt sympathy for all of the caring adults trying to take care of me and my friends with so few resources.

Now, as a public school educator I feel the lack of adequate resources even more acutely. My school is in a relatively wealthy neighborhood with a strong parent educational fund, but even with this financial support we struggle to make ends meet. To provide high quality education a school's greatest investment is in its teachers.

Gillian Garaci

The most prevalent example of Pittsburg High School’s deficient funding was the teacher strikes that occurred during my Junior and Senior year of high school. Teachers were not receiving the salary that they deserved, especially since a lot of them take time away from their personal lives to adequately prepare and conduct their classes. Normally, teachers, especially those greatly dedicated to the betterment of their students, would come in an hour or more early to their classrooms to be available for any questions kids would have before class. Teachers would also not have enough time in the workday to grade papers and prepare for their classes, so they resort to taking time from their personal lives to do so. This does not also mention the fact that several of my teachers have also dipped into their own funds to appropriately provide classes the learning resources that we needed. When the strike was going on, papers were graded later, feedback on work was less available, and teachers themselves seemed more stressed out. The teachers of my high school had to do what they needed to in order for them to receive their proper pay; and I applaud them for it.

Nathan Roura

I grew up going to California public schools. Because my high school was the only high school in the school district, classes were often overcrowded. I rarely had a class size under 30 and because teachers and counselors were not paid enough in comparison to other school districts nearby, many staff members felt pressure to leave. When I look back on my experience now, I understand why they would want to leave even if they love their job. But unfortunately, the lack of funding and resources affects our ability to learn.

Angèle Griffin

Although I was enrolled in a public school system throughout my childhood, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the higher ranked chain of schools that pushed their students to pursue a higher education after graduation. However, California's poor education funding impacts were, and still are, very prevalent in both the student population and our teacher faculty. A good portion of students who attended my high school when I was still enrolled didn't even live in our city; I had friends who commuted 45 minutes on the freeway to and from the school everyday for four years. The majority of faculty members who were not AP teachers were struggling because they were all being underpaid.

Wendy Morrison

I have always been a "teacher", from a young age I enjoyed "teaching" kids younger than myself. My first career was as a nurse (following in my mother's footsteps). Even as a nurse, I was a nurse educator. I think being a teacher is tapping into all of the things I am best at. That isn't to say about don't struggle, just that I enjoy any struggles.

For our program the financial burden isn't in true "cuts". We just haven't had many increases in state and federal funding for so long that our program operates "in the red". The impact of the lack of funding is evident in every programmatic decision right down to how much printer ink I am allotted.

Jessi Thixton

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a school district that was well-funded by parents and donors. However, community members should not hold the burden of financing public services. I was made aware of the inequalities in California’s education system from a young age, when I saw my friends commute hours in Los Angeles traffic to be able to access a decent public school. At disproportionate levels, schools are unable to provide basic needs to their students, let alone support programs that will allow students to excel and feel impassioned.