Educators And Parents Call For Progressive Tax At San Francisco Town Hall

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Calls to change the tax structure rang through the Mission campus of City College of San Francisco Wednesday, where educators held a town hall meeting to explore ways school districts can avoid layoffs and preserve programs.

The 500 pink slips sent out by the San Francisco Unified School District could be just the tip of the iceberg, said Dennis Kelly, president of United Educators of San Francisco.

"The money problems are bad because of what the priorities of the state have been," Kelly said.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

Besides teachers and administrators, Kelly said the San Francisco layoffs will mean fewer bilingual staff whose job is to encourage greater participation from Spanish-speaking parents.

Kelly was one of several at the town hall-style meeting calling for a progressive tax to save California schools.

"Make sure that the people who have a lot of money are sharing the burden," Kelly said.

That idea was the only thing that could stave off bleak, across the board cuts would be a progressive tax structure, said City College professor Alisa Messer.

"If we don't figure out how to have a larger conversation about raising revenue, public education may not be here," she said.

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