FreedomWorks Grassroots Effort Helps Defeat California’s Proposition 82

FreedomWorks California played a critical role in defeating Proposition 82. FreedomWorks California Field Coordinator Matt Schumsky utilized his grassroots network of over 80,000 activists to get the message out that this was a flawed, special interest-driven proposition. Schumsky spoke at dozens of major events in the weeks coming up to the election to spread the real facts of the proposition.

The proposition would have created a new tax to run universal preschool program in California.
The program would require new state preschools that would only be able to employ teachers with a four-year degree and a one year certification in child development. All these preschool employees would also be required to join the NEA Labor Union through the California Teachers Association, the largest supporter of the proposition.

Existing preschools that could not meet these requirements would be prevented by law from taking part in the program. Even a teacher with twenty years experience would be fired if they did not have the additional degree.

Initial polls for the proposition indicated overwhelming support for the idea with figures showing over a ten point cushion for the proponents of the proposition. After voters learned the details of the program, it was rejected by a twenty point margin, 40 to 60 percent. FreedomWorks California played a key role in the voter education program leading up to the election.

California FreedomWorks Field Coordinator Matt Schumsky commented, “ This proposition wasn’t about helping children have access to quality preschool, it was about adding to the NEA Labor Union membership rolls to help replenish the hundreds of millions of dollars the California Teachers Association spent on defeating measures that would have helped our children’s education. “

“To think that this measure would have wiped out the majority of existing private preschools is very troubling. It would have cost the jobs of tens of thousands of experienced teachers who are not capable of sustaining their families while taking five years out of their lives to go get an additional certification for a job they are already qualified for.”

“The truth is that if the union really cared about the children they would have proposed a ‘voucher’ system to be used at existing preschools instead of using the government to try and wipe out a major privately owned business sector. The voters didn’t want to see an already failed government-run education system implement a giant takeover of an already existing preschool system.”

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