Teachers from around San Diego County will take part in a statewide "Pink Friday" demonstration after school Friday to protest budget cuts that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs.
Dressed in pink to signify the more than 20,000 "pink slips" California teachers will receive, San Diego-area educators will protest along roadways and on freeway overpasses around the county.
Demonstrations are scheduled in Carmel Valley, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Escondido, Ramona, National City, Chula Vista, National City and San Diego, according to the California Teachers Association.
"I'm asking all Californians to wear pink this Friday to show their support for our public schools," David Sanchez, president of the 340,000- member CTA, said in a statement.
According to the CTA, more than $11 billion in state education cuts were approved in the recent state budget.
"These cuts are going to hurt an entire generation of children and damage California's public education system for years to come," Sanchez said.
Tomorrow is the deadline for school districts to issue preliminary pink slips to teachers, according to the CTA.
More than 20,000 teachers statewide are slated to be notified about a possible layoff, according to the CTA. Hundreds of those educators are from San Diego County schools.
"The new state budget makes what is the largest single budget cut ever made to public education in California," said David Skinner, president of the Del Mar Teachers Association, where pink slips were given to 51 full-time and 24 temporary teachers.
"Our state already ranks 47th in education funding," he said. "These new cuts will impact an entire generation of children and escalate California's race to the bottom in education funding."
