SACRAMENTO - The 330,000-member California Teachers Association is calling on the Republican members of the California Assembly to stop playing politics with school funding and approve the state education budget bill, SB 1830. This bill must be signed into law by Sunday in order for the state to save more than $1.7 billion.
"The passage of SB 1830 will help alleviate the state's budget deficit and ensure that our schools get adequate resources next year," said CTA President Wayne Johnson. "Public education funding must not be sacrificed to election year, partisan politics. Republican leaders in the Assembly should follow the lead of their Senate colleagues who approved the bill last week."
SB 1830 provides a one-time shift of education funding from the current state budget to the 2002-03 budget. The California Assembly is scheduled to reconsider SB 1830 this afternoon.
"With the state facing a $23.6 billion shortfall there are no easy answers, but holding this bill hostage puts our students and schools at risk for deeper funding cuts. Are Assembly Republican leaders trying to shut down our schools? We ask assembly members to do what's best for the children of California and approve this bill immediately," said Johnson.