BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18709189 SEQUENCE:18801363 CREATED:20120313T020700Z DESCRIPTION:http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_20157831/hunger-strike-continues-san-leandro-high-students\n\n Hunger strike continues for San Leandro High students\n\nBy Eric Kurhi\nHayward Daily Reviewcontracostatimes.com\nPosted: 03/12/2012 03:58:11 PM PDT\nMarch 12, 2012 11:14 PM GMT Updated: 03/12/2012 04:14:40 PM PDT\n\nSAN LEANDRO -- Three hunger strikers at San Leandro High who haven't eaten solid food in nearly a week intend to go before the school board Tuesday to reiterate their opposition to budget cuts.\n\nVeronica Mandujano, 18, and 17-year-olds Kayla Ely and Anai Rosales, all seniors, started the strike on March 7, the day after the school board approved $1.4 million in cuts. The district also has a contingency budget to slash an additional $2.5 million if voters do not approve a state tax measure in November that would bolster school funding.\n\nThat contingency plan would further reduce staff and eliminate sports and music programs, among other cuts.\n\nThe hunger strikers -- as well as others who have been outspoken at previous meetings -- would like the district to dip into its reserves to hold onto teachers and programs.\n\nKayla said Monday that she's lost six pounds.\n\n"I'm losing body fat," she said. "That's what our bodies are going off now."\n\nWhile Kayla hasn't eaten solid food, she does drink Gatorade and Ensure protein shakes in addition to water.\n\nShe said she felt feeble all weekend, but was re-energized when she returned to school on Monday.\n\nKayla isn't sure how long the strike will last.\n\n"Honestly, I don't know," she said. "I'm going to try as hard as I can, try and make a change."\n\nKayla said she and the two other strikers intend to speak during the public comment period at Tuesday's meeting.\n\n"At least we'll let them know that we're still doing this," she said.\n \nThe meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the district offices, 14735 Juniper St., San Leandro.\n\n\n\n\n\nhttp://sanleandro.patch.com/articles/patch-blogger-two-other-students-fast-to-oppose-school-budget-cuts\n\n****-- Patch Blogger, Two Other Students Fast To Oppose School Budget Cuts --****\n\nSize of the district's reserve fund a key issue as emotions run high after years of cuts.\n\n * By Tom Abate\n * March 8, 2012\n\n\nThree San Leandro High School students are continuing a hunger strike they announced Tuesday night to protest the School Board's unanimous decision to issue layoff notices that could eliminate music, sports and other programs.\n\n"I am nervous, but willing to keep going until the board notices how much money they really hold," said San Leandro High senior Kayla Ely, one of the hunger strikers and a Patch blogger.\n\nThe two other hunger strikers are Veronica Mandujano and Anai Rosales, also seniors at San Leandro High and, like Ely, members of the school's Social Justice Academy, according to a Hayward Daily Review article.\n\nBefore Tuesday's board meeting, Ely had written a Patch blog urging the district to dip into its reserves rather than issue layoff notices to an additional 53 school employees whose departures could shut down all athletic activities, enrichment programs like music, library assistance, counseling and other services.\n\nThe size of the school district's reserve is a central issue.\n\nThe San Leandro Teacher's Association argues that the district has a 14.5 percent reserve.\n\nSchool Board President Morgan Mack-Rose said only three percent of that is discretionary, with the other 11 percent is already earmarked for near-term school expenses like textbook purchases.\n\nIssuing the layoff notices is also a tactic by the board to get teachers to continue a set of concessions that could lessen or eliminate the need for the cuts -- but at the expense of maintaining what amounts to pay cuts for instructors who have not had a raise in years.\n\nAnother factor that could lessen the need for layoffs is what Sacramento does. In May the Governor is supposed to issue a revised budget projection, and if revenues increase, there would be less need for cuts.\n\nSo the three pieces in the board's budget puzzle are: how much to extract from reserves, how much to seek in teacher concessions and how much to expect from the state.\n\nAmidst this the hunger-striking students have upped the emotional ante. As Mandujano told the board Tuesday night, she hoped the fast would show that "like our schools, my body can’t survive with just the bare minimum."\n\nLast October, Mandujano, Ely and other Social Justice Academy members led one of the earliest Bay Area protests to mimic Occupy Wall Street.\n\n\n\n[[ More info is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/03/09-5 ]]\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/12/18709189.php SUMMARY:San Leandro High School students on hunger strike take protest to School Board on Tuesday LOCATION:San Leandro school district offices\n14735 Juniper St., San Leandro URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/12/18709189.php DTSTART:20120314T020000Z DTEND:20120314T043000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR