Press Governor to Protect QEIA and Restore $402M

Push for Promised Funding

Your help is urgently needed to press Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign SB 84 to protect school districts’ revenue limits while securing $402 million in promised funding for the Quality Education Investment Act. CTA pushed for new legislation that will protect QEIA and prevent funds from being redirected from schools’ Revenue Limits – districts’ basic perstudent funding – until the state Superintendent of Public Instruction certifies that other state or federal funds will be used to replace the Revenue Limit funds.

The QEIA funding was guaranteed as part of the July 2009-2010 state budget agreement. The "QEIA Fix" bill -- SB 84 -- provides a process to allow districts to certify their local budgets and fully implement QEIA. The ambiguity of the original legislation has made some districts increasingly nervous.  Check our QEIA section for details.

Background: Court Ruling Won Funds

Under a court settlement brought by CTA in 2006, the administration agreed to provide the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) with $406 million annually in non-Proposition 98 funding.

CTA filed the lawsuit when the Schwarzenegger administration refused to repay moneys owed to public education as a result of the suspension of Proposition 98 in 2004-2005.

As part of the 2009 budget agreement, the funding for QEIA was to be provided from other state and federal sources, not at the expense of basic school funding.

As a result, on CTA members' urging, lawmakers approved SB 84.

The bill would guarantee that no Revenue Limit funding would be diverted from school districts until replacement state or federal funds have been identified and certified.

Now the Governor needs to sign SB 84.  The bill will repair the financial transaction, protect local school districts, and get  the desperately needed funding out to schools.

CTA Coordinators: Contact the Governor

Contact Governor Schwarzenegger now.  Use the talking points below.

Urge other CTA members at your school to contact the Governor.

The message to the Governor is short and simple:

• Sign SB 84 now.

• Protect basic funding for all districts while ensuring that QEIA schools also get their own desperately needed funding.

• SB 84 will ensure that other state and federal funding is directed to the QEIA and those schools of greatest need.