CTA Mobilizes to Protect Education Funding and COLA
CTA has mounted a statewide mobilization to stave off the demands of Republican Senators to slash additional funding from the pending 2007-2008 state budget.
As the Legislative Update went to press, the state budget was stalled in the Senate, where lawmakers recessed until Wednesday after marathon sessions over the weekend were unsuccessful in approving a 2007-2008 state spending plan. Simply put, Democrats were willing to vote for the spending measure, while Republicans insisted they would not vote for the measure until they believed it was fully balanced. For some Republicans, a “balanced” budget would require additional program cuts of anywhere from $500 million to $2 billion.
Earlier in the week, the Assembly passed the budget measure – SB 77 – and a trailer measure that would provide more than $500 million in annual tax benefits for the movie industry, oil companies, and financial institutions. The additional tax breaks came over the objections of CTA and other public interest groups. CTA budget experts point out that these tax breaks would reduce Proposition 98 funding for schools in future years. (So far, the Senate has refused to take up these tax cuts, which would be voted on in action separate from the budget approval.)
The Assembly action sent the budget to the Senate, where Republicans demanded still more cuts.
Frustrated and exhausted following hours upon hours of fruitless meetings, Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland) told Senator Dick Ackerman (R-Tustin), leader of the Senate Republicans, that he expected the Republican Caucus to come back on Wednesday with a fully formed budget proposal that meets their criteria and secures 15 Republican votes.
Outcry: No More Cuts in Education
CTA, the Education Coalition, Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and others lobbied lawmakers all during the deliberations with a simple message: fully fund public education.
"California teachers urge state senators to protect funding for California public schools and end the budget standoff by adopting the Assembly-passed budget proposal and rejecting a package of tax breaks for big businesses. It's time to show that public education really is a top priority in this state. Cutting school funding sends the wrong message to our kids and is not what the voters of California want.
“We commend Senate Pro Tem Don Perata for putting forward this budget and urge senators to send it to the governor, so local schools can get onto their business of getting ready for the new school year. Providing adequate funding to our schools isn't a Republican or Democrat issue, it's simply the right thing to do,” said CTA President David A. Sanchez.
The ongoing efforts aim to protect Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) funds desperately needed by K-12 schools and the state’s beleaguered community colleges that help them cope with the corrosive effects of inflation.
At the same time, CTA members throughout California are contacting the governor and their state Senators urging them to keep out of the budget provisions that would bring back to life the counterproductive and costly second-grade Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exam.
CTA representatives point out that reauthorizing the second-grade exam would use $2 million annually that could be devoted to more effective instructional efforts. They also note that studies have shown that administering the test at the second grade level provides schools with little useful information and unnecessarily subjects the youngsters to harmful stress.
State law requires the legislature to approve a final spending plan by a two-thirds majority in both houses before sending the measure to the governor for his signature. A June 30 deadline for having a new budget in place has already been missed, and the state will begin to lose its authorization to issue payments to some accounts later this month. State law provides that K-12 schools receive the base revenue limit even if no budget is in place, but the community colleges are not covered by those provisions. The failure to have a new budget creates uncertainties at both levels.
CTA Members:
Get in touch with your state senator via the Legislative Action Center and urge her/him to:
• Maintain the Assembly budget provisions that fully fund Proposition 98 and restore the $364 million reduced by mistake by the Department of Finance. The $364 million reduction in public school funding discovered by the Legislative Analyst’s Office must be paid to schools this year. The money must continue to be part of the education funding base. Despite being the eighth largest economy in the world, California ranks only 43rd in the nation in per-pupil funding when its education spending is adjusted for inflation.
• Fully fund the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and growth at 4.53% for all school and community college programs. The COLA must apply to all K-12 and community college programs, including class size reduction and instructional materials.
• Reject the governor’s attempt to reinstate second-grade testing through the budget. Under existing law, second-grade testing ended July 1, 2007. California has now joined 41 other states that no longer require second-grade testing.
• And reject the Assembly trailer bill that would reduce state revenues by $500 million and create a new tax loophole for the movie industry.