The 25 Teachers’ Salaries campaign said Tuesday that the 325,000 member California Teachers Association (CTA) has joined them in asking the California legislature to pass a joint resolution petitioning Congress to spend less on weapons and send the saved money to the States for education funding.

The group in Davis called 25 Teachers’ Salaries wrote the proposed bill and is looking for a member of Congress to introduce it and a member of the legislature to carry the joint resolution.

Earlier this year the Jefferson Elementary School Board in Daly City and the Konocti School Board in Lower Lake, California endorsed the joint resolution proposed by 25 Teachers’ Salaries for the California legislature and the related proposed bill, America’s Weapons Rebate to Education Act.

The purpose of the bill is to restore the level of state support provided to pre-kindergarten through post secondary education to the level of the 2005-2006 school year and maintain it for ten years.

Former CTA President David A. Sanchez wrote to Speaker John Perez and President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg pointing out the disparity between military and education spending.

“The average starting teacher’s salary in California is $42,000. Meanwhile the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) buys bombs and missiles costing $1 million and up.”

For the price of one bomb, California school districts could pay about 25 starting teachers’ salaries.

Noting that the United States has spent over $1 trillion – much of it from California taxpayers – fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sanchez said, “A reallocation of a percentage of the DOD weapons budget to the states for the purpose of hiring K – 12 teachers and other educators would greatly benefit California students and public schools.”

The CTA letter is on the Web site of the 25 Teachers’ Salaries campaign.

The proposed legislation is on the “Proposed legislation” page under the tab “Campaign Documents.”

On the first day of this year’s military action in Libya NATO fired 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles, each of which cost $1.5 million, an expense of $168 million.

This year the U.S. is spending $160 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, over $5,000 per second or $400 million per day. Each ten seconds these wars cost as much as one starting teacher’s salary including benefits.

In contrast to the intense scrutiny of and deep cuts made to state and school district education budgets, the Pentagon budget has grown at a 9 percent annual rate and its financial statements have not been audited since 2001. See the Office of Inspector General, Independent Auditor’s October 19, 2009 Report No. D-2010-002 found at www.dodig.mil/audit/reports/fy10/10-002.pdf, pages 1-2.

The FY 2010 Pentagon budget of $685 billion includes over $200 billion in weapons spending, broadly defined including procurement, research, development, test and evaluation; www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/32_1.pdf.

Mark Graham of Davis, founder and campaign organizer of the 25 Teachers’ Salaries, believes this is a tradeoff that a large majority of Californians and Americans will support.

“A college education at the University of California used to be free, provided by the state,” he said. “Today we are shortchanging our students when we should be investing in the next generation. Laying off teachers, cutting programs and closing schools directly impacts California’s students. The legislature can only do so much, but we know where the real money is going; it’s being spent on weapons. It’s all taxpayer money in the first place. It’s not like we are asking for somebody else’s money to pay teachers’ salaries.

“A joint resolution is a way for California to find its voice. Education should be part of the national budget debate. We are very grateful for the support of the CTA and we invite other stakeholders including local school boards and local teachers unions to add their voices to this campaign,” Graham added.