School Budget Cut Protest Gets Rained Out

A rally that to protest school budget cuts today was cancelled due to rain.

The event, called the “,” was set for 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on ’s football field, said Barbara Burkett, spokesperson for the Temecula Valley Council of Parent Teacher Associations.

The field was “just too soggy,” Burkett said via email.

The event might be cancelled permanently, she said. “Last I spoke with Chris (Lindberg, incoming president of the Temecula Valley Educators Association), she thought it unlikely a new date would be set, given the shortened school year,” Burkett said.

Students, parents and teachers from Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore and Menifee organized the event to raise awareness of the $4 billion slated to be cut from California school budgets this year, she said.

The event was to includes student performances, a marching band and cheerleaders, said Kathy Fink, incoming president of the parent-teachers association.

The event was to be part of a state-wide protest called the “State of Emergency,” coordinated by state education and labor groups. Educators, students and parents participated in a series of events May 9-13.

The events include a sit-in at the State Capitol building in Sacramento and several regional rallies. For more information about the statewide events, click here.