California’s education community did its part to ease the budget deficit by agreeing to a one-time Reduction in Proposition 98 funds, but the recent report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office encourages the Legislature not to honor that agreement by withholding nearly $1.4 billion due to K-14 education. A vigorous conversation about how to respond is taking place at the Capitol.

What can schools expect? More importantly, what can schools do to ensure that students get the resources they’re entitled to — the resources the Governor and Legislature promised to provide?

At the first General Session, CSBA President David Pollock urged more 3,000 school board members to sign a letter to Gov. Schwarzenegger on behalf of California public schoolchildren. Then, at CSBA’s annual State of the State presentation, CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin presented attendees with an opportunity to add their signatures.  The State of the State featured the most recent updates on the deliberations in Sacramento as well as analysis and projections from veteran school finance experts Plotkin, Rick Pratt. CSBA Assistant Executive Director of Governmental Relations, Rick Simpson, Policy Director for the Speaker of the Assembly and Ken Hall, chairman of School Services of California, Inc.

Join California school board members in urging the Governor and Legislature to:

• Honor their agreement to fund schools.  California public schools took a big hit in doing their part to help ease the budget deficit.  Now it’s time for the Government and Legislature to live up to their promise to California’s schoolchildren.

• Commit resources toward student achievement.  The real issue is the quality of public education in California and our need to commit resources sufficient to achieve the high standards we have set for our students.

• Invest in the future of California — invest in education.  California public schools have sustained billions of dollars in budget cuts that have resulted in higher class sizes and a leveling off of the achievement gains we have seen since we adopted accountability standards for schools.  Reverse this trend and reinvest in California’s future.

Take action!

(Sample Letter)

December 2004

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing to respectfully urge you to fulfill your agreement with the education community by including the appropriation of additional 2004-05 Proposition 98 funds in your January budget proposal.  Under the terms of this agreement, actual funding for Proposition 98 in the current year is to be $2 billion less than the calculated guarantee.  The Legislature became a party to this agreement with its enactment of Chapter 213, Statutes of 2004.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s November Fiscal Outlook, the 2004-05 guarantee has increased by approximately $1 billion due to higher-than-budgeted General Fund revenues.  When combined with a budgeted Proposition 98 “reserve” of $302 million and a savings of $70 million from the revenue limit continuous appropriation, this comes to nearly $1.4 billion that, under the terms of the agreement, should be appropriated to K-14 education in the current year.

I am deeply troubled by the Analyst’s recommendation that the Legislature “consider maintaining the 2004-05 Proposition 98 appropriations at the existing level.” In other words, the Analyst recommends not appropriating the additional funds owed to schools.  This concern goes far beyond keeping faith with an agreement.  The real issue is the quality of public education in California and our need to commit resources sufficient to achieve the high standards we have set for our students.  California’s public schools have sustained literally billions of dollars of budget cuts over the past several years, and the effects of these cuts are beginning to be seen in higher class sizes and a leveling off — and in some cases a loss — of the achievement gains we have accomplished since the enactment of the Public School Accountability Act.  For these reasons, I ask for your continued support of the budget agreement and the appropriation of an additional $1.4 billion for Proposition 98 in 2004-05.

Sincerely,

(Signature)
(Name)
(School District)
(District Address)

cc:  Senator, Assembly Member

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