CTA and its Education Coalition allies have been pressing the state Senate to approve SB 77, the 2007-2008 budget proposal that has been passed by the Assembly and is awaiting action in the upper house. The organizations, which represent parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, school employees, and other school supporters, have been stressing that each passing day without a budget in place hurts students in K-12 schools and the community colleges.
Education advocates underscore that the Assembly spending version provides schools with sufficient appropriations to cover at least the minimum funding required by the state constitution. That budget version contains enough money to provide the statutory Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and appropriations for growth.
To press home the urgency of getting the new budget approved, Coalition representatives have held media availabilities recently in the state capital, as well as media events in the districts of key lawmakers. Speaking to reporters, state and local representatives of the organizations have urged members of the Senate to give the spending plan the needed two-thirds vote that would send the bill to the governor.
Representatives of the Association of California School Administrators, the California State Parent Teachers Association, the California School Board Association, the California Federation of Teachers, and the California County Superintendents Education Services Association have told print, radio, and television reporters in the capital that K-12 schools will receive only part of their state payments and the community colleges will receive virtually none of the money due to them until a budget is approved.
School districts on year-round calendars have already begun the new school year without knowing exactly how much funding will come in from the state. Without those numbers, the districts have a hard time deciding what expenditures they can make. District superintendents point out that absent the adoption of a state spending plan, they may have to dip into their reserves to pay for such things as employee salaries, instructional materials, and energy.
The community colleges will be hard hit because their funding is not technically considered a continuous appropriation. Until the governor inks a new budget, beleaguered community college districts will see virtually no new state money.
State Controller John Chiang, the constitutional officer whose office disburses state payments to schools and other recipients, said in early July that at the end of that month, the state would begin to lose its authority to make a variety of payments in excess of $1.1 billion.
"For a lot of people there will be a significant impact," the Controller told reporters.
Overall, the state constitution requires California, as part of the continuous appropriation to schools, to pay K-12 education about 75% of the funds due to it. Those funds are far short of the amount needed to run schools, and few districts have a rainy day reserve large enough to cover the missing 25%.
Two-thirds Vote Requirement Complicates Issue
While the Senate Democrats, led by Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland), have committed themselves to voting for the Assembly budget version, the Senate Republican Caucus, led by Sen. Dick Ackerman (R-Tustin), has been demanding further cuts, more than $700 million worth, as the price for voting for the spending plan. Under state law, the budget must be approved by a two-thirds margin. That means the budget must have the votes of all Democrats and at least two Republicans to pass. Thus far, only one Republican Senator – Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) -- has been courageous enough to break with his caucus and vote for the spending plan. CTA members were hopeful that Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Merced) would also have the courage to support the budget plan, but he has not been willing to do so.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who told reporters he supports the Assembly budget draft and wants to see no further cuts in education, has also been unable to persuade the one additional GOP senator need to approve the spending plan.
The Assembly took off for its summer recess in mid-July after it passed a version of the budget. The Assembly is slated to return to the Capitol on Aug. 20. In the meantime, Legislative Democratic Leaders, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata, have been holding a series of media events pointing out the increasing negative impact the crisis is having on schools and other services. On August 13, for instance, Assembly Member Nunez and local leaders visited a health clinic in Sacramento that may have to shut down if it does not soon receive the state funding held up in the budget. The clinic serves an estimated 400 poverty-level patients a day, local media report.
As the budget crisis worsens, CTA continues to express its concerns about a budget “trailer” bill that the Assembly passed before it recessed. That post-budget legislation would reduce the state’s general fund by $500 million. The bill would provide tax breaks to film companies, oil companies, and some financial institutions. Under Proposition 98’s school funding formula, public education generally loses 40 cents for every one dollar in state revenues that disappears because of tax breaks for wealthy special interests. (Editor’s note: Senate Democrats have agreed not to take the trailer bill up in the Senate.)
CTA Members:
Urge your state senator to vote for the Assembly version of the state budget, SB 77. Let your Senator know how funding shortfalls would harm your classroom and your students. Also urge your Senator 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.
- And reject the Assembly trailer bill that would reduce state revenues by $500 million and create a new tax loophole for the movie industry.
You can send e-mails to your lawmaker by using the Legislative Action Center. For more information, contact CTA GR Communications Consultant Len Feldman at lfeldman@cta.org.