• CTA believes state and federal government should provide adequate funds for education in order that schools and colleges can fulfill the goal of a quality education and provide necessary resources to meet the individual needs of all students. We commend Governor Brown for keeping public education a priority in his May revision of the state budget.

    The revised budget proposes to change the state’s funding formula for K-12 schools by providing base funding to all school districts and supplemental funds for English learners, foster youth and economically disadvantaged students. Under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) the base grant is 80% of the funding, the supplemental grant is 16% of the funding, and the concentration grant is 4% of the funding. The revised budget plan includes an additional $240 million for the LCFF, another $1.6 billion to pay school district deferrals (total deferral payments are now $3.4 billion for 2012-13), and $1 billion that is earmarked to help implement the Common Core State Standards. The plan also includes a $30 million increase in funding for community colleges, maintains the $500 million funding increase for CSU and UC, and freezes student fees for three years.

    CTA echoes the sentiments of Gov. Brown that we must make education in our state more equitable as “Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice.” CTA agrees that every student is entitled to educational equality and recognizes that students with the greatest needs require additional resources to meet the state’s academic standards. As adopted by the State Council of Education, CTA’s 2013 State Budget Principles reflect these goals.

    K-12 Budget Principles
    Community College Budget Principles
    CSU Budget Principles

    CTA's State Budget Principles call for equitable funding for students most in need, restoration of the deficit factor, an annual cost-of-living adjustment for all schools while the formula is being implemented over a period of several years, and full funding for the state’s K-3 Class Size Reduction Program. Additionally, CTA believes funding must be based on student enrollment, quantifiable data is consistently applied and publicly available, and districts must be held accountable for spending the money appropriately. Funding for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is of paramount importance to CTA; therefore, we commend the Governor for allocating $1 billion as a down payment to start this process.

    Key Points:

    • CTA supports the goals of the LCFF as it addresses education funding on the basis of equity among all of California’s students and provides equal funding for students most in need. We believe every student is entitled to educational equality, and we support the goals of the Governor’s plan to provide a fair and equal opportunity for all students to succeed.
    • CTA supports the Class Size Reduction program for grades K-3 within the LCFF, but maintains it should return to the 20-to-1 ratio as it was prior to 2007-08. Studies consistently demonstrate greater student achievement among students in smaller classes where educators can reach each student and provide individualized attention based on needs and strengths.
    • CTA supports funding for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Additional funding for the implementation of the CCSS is extremely important in order to provide students with textbooks, curriculum and resources, and to give educators the support, training and professional development needed to make the transition efficient for all. While it will take a lot more than the $1 billion the governor has proposed, it will certainly help us move in the right direction.
    • CTA supports the repayment of deferrals to local school districts. After years of drastic cuts, it is necessary for the future of our children and the future of California that money owed to students and public education begin to be restored. Funding for California schools and colleges has been cut by more than $20 billion over the last four years. It’s time our students had a chance to focus on learning instead of facing threats of larger class sizes, fewer classes to choose from, higher tuition, and fewer teachers in the classroom.
    • CTA supports keeping Adult Education, ROC/ROP, Home-to-School Transportation and the Targeted Instructional Improvement Program as stand-alone programs with their own dedicated source of funding.
    • The LCFF provides local school districts with greater flexibility and greater authority over education funding and requires each district to adopt a local accountability plan. CTA believes the accountability plan must give some assurance that the supplemental dollars allocated to school districts are spent as intended, that LCFF funding is based on enrollment, and that quantifiable data is consistently applied.
    • California dropped to 49th in the nation in per-student funding last year and has consistently hovered in the lower levels over the past 10 years. While the LCFF does not provide sufficient funding to get California to at least the national average, it will help restore funding that has been cut from schools in recent years and provide additional resources in the future.

    CTA looks forward to working with the Legislature and the Governor to pass a state budget that supports students, educators, schools and colleges.