Proposition 8 | Rebuttal to Argument in Favor | Proposition 8 | Rebuttal to Argument Against |
Public Schools. Permanent Class Size Reduction.
Parent-Teacher Councils. Teacher Credentialing.
Pupil Suspension for Drug Possession. Chief
Inspector's Office. Initiative Statute.
Argument against Proposition 8
Arguments on this page are the opinions of the authors and have not been checked for accuracy by any official agency.
Fed up with well-intended, but POORLY CRAFTED initiatives that don't do what they promise? Wait until you read Proposition 8, and please, read it carefully. IF PROP. 8 PASSES, OUR CHILDREN--our most precious resource--STAND TO LOSE THE MOST.

--Rather than improve classroom education, PROP. 8 LETS EACH SCHOOL SET DIFFERENT STANDARDS IN CONFLICT WITH NEW UNIFORM STATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS.

--PROP. 8 TAKES MILLIONS of TAX DOLLARS AWAY FROM EXISTING EDUCATION PROGRAMS to FUND a NEW UNACCOUNTABLE BUREAUCRACY, with NO CHECKS OR BALANCES to guard against abuse. As noted in the Sacramento Bee, Prop. 8 "will erode accountability almost beyond recognition" and make it "virtually impossible to determine who is responsible for what."

--Don't be fooled by Prop. 8's clever promises! For instance, the CLASS SIZE REDUCTION PROGRAM is ALREADY IN PLACE and working effectively in our schools. It was only included in the initiative as window dressing.

--PROP. 8 TRIPLES THE STATE'S EDUCATION BUREAUCRACY--300% THE SIZE OF THE EXISTING BUREAUCRACY. We already have a Superintendent of Public Instruction, a State Board of Education, a Secretary of Education and Child Development, 1000 elected school boards and thousands of committees. Incredibly, PROP. 8 ADDS ANOTHER ARM OF GOVERNMENT and 8000 NEW COUNCILS.

--Prop. 8 creates a new CZAR's OFFICE, which they cleverly gave the voter-friendly title "Office of the Chief Inspector". Unfortunately, the office is NO friend to voters. Prop. 8 gives the new "Chief Inspector" THE POWERS OF A CZAR--a 10-YEAR APPOINTMENT WITH NO LEGISLATIVE CONFIRMATION and NO EDUCATION EXPERIENCE required. Prop. 8 sets no limits on the NEW CZAR'S SALARY or the salaries of ALL THE POLITICAL CRONIES HE WANTS TO HIRE--"inspectors" not subject to taxpayer inspection! Guess who gets to pay for all those new six-figure government bureaucrat salaries?

--Prop. 8 also creates 8000 ALL-POWERFUL COUNCILS--a RECIPE for TAX DOLLAR ABUSE and ACADEMIC CHAOS. Parental involvement is an essential component of successful schools, but Prop. 8 goes about it the wrong way. Unlike existing school site councils, PROP. 8's councils (which are NOT ELECTED by or accountable to taxpayers) would be given unprecedented authority to SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS and DECIDE WHAT SHOULD BE TAUGHT in our schools.

--8000 separate councils setting 8000 SEPARATE CURRICULUMS would GUARANTEE MANY ACADEMIC STANDARDS WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM ONE SCHOOL TO THE NEXT and IN CONFLICT WITH THE NEW STATE STANDARDS and COLLEGE ENTRANCE requirements. Educators, parents and the business community have worked hard to put in place rigorous new uniform standards for teachers and students (which finally go into effect next year) and a thorough testing and measurement system to hold administrators, teachers and students accountable. PROP. 8 THROWS THESE GAINS OUT THE WINDOW.

It's our job to give kids the skills they need to become tomorrow's leaders. USING LIMITED CLASSROOMS DOLLARS to CREATE INCONSISTENT ACADEMIC STANDARDS and a LARGER, MORE COSTLY SCHOOL BUREAUCRACY is NOT the way to go!

JOIN EDUCATORS, PARENTS and TAXPAYERS--Vote

NO on Prop. 8!

LOIS TINSON
President, California Teachers Association LENNY GOLDBERG
Executive Director, California Tax Reform Association BOB WELLS
Secretary/Treasurer, Parents, Teachers and Educators for Local Control
Proposition 8 | Rebuttal to Argument in Favor | Proposition 8 | Rebuttal to Argument Against |