Urge Lawmakers to Protect COLA, Growth in Budget
Your help is needed urgently right now to protect more than $400 million in K-12 and community college funding and to prevent the reinstitution of a costly and ineffective testing program for second graders.
Reports have surfaced that Republican Assembly and Senate leaders have proposed zeroing out funding for schools’ Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and student enrollment growth.
In addition, the governor’s office is reportedly continuing its efforts to put back into the budget provisions that would revive and fund the second-grade Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exam that expired earlier this month.
Background
Cuts Threaten Vital School Funding
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have been meeting, trying to finalize a 2007-2008 fiscal year budget. As they debate the fate of this year’s version, SB 70, Republican legislative leaders – Assembly Member Mike Villines (R-Clovis) and Sen. Dick Ackerman (R-Tustin) -- are reportedly demanding massive cuts, including $400 in education reductions. The education cuts they are demanding would eliminate the funds schools receive to help them cope with inflation. The current version of the spending plan would provide a 4.53% COLA. The proposed cuts would also eliminate the money schools get to fund the increase in the number of students in K-12 and community college classrooms.
Second Grade Testing Hurts Kids
CTA has successfully defeated a number of efforts to bring back to life the second grade STAR exam, which would cost more than $2 million annually to reintroduce.
CTA derailed legislation that would have extended the counterproductive exam, and it also defeated attempts to put reauthorization language and funding in the state budget. But with the budget still not finalized, the governor’s office is reportedly insisting that a reinstatement of the exam be part of the approved spending plan.
• Now’s the time to let the governor know directly that his reinstatement plan is a bad idea.
• The second grade testing is costly, requiring $2 million or more annually in funds better spent on other instructional elements. Studies have proven that testing children that young provides no useful information and puts them under undue, harmful stress.
• The second-grade STAR also puts California out of compliance with federal law. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB) requires students to be tested in Grade 3 and above. A full 41 states have already rejected second-grade testing!
CTA Members: Here’s How to Help
On the budget:
Contact the governor and your state Senator and Assembly Member. Urge them to support the full 4.53% COLA for all K-12 and community college programs.
On second-grade testing:
Contact the governor’s office and urge him to abandon his efforts to reinstate it. Get in touch with your state Senator and Assembly Member. Urge them to vote against a budget that includes second-grade testing authorization.
Information on each issue can be found in the Legislative Action Center.
For more information, contact CTA Legislative Advocates Estelle Lemieux (budget) or Isabelle Garcia (STAR) or GR Communications Consultant Len Feldman at 916.325.1500.