FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Finding Long-term Revenue Solutions Next Challenge for Governor and Legislature
SACRAMENTO – The California Teachers Association says sacrifices have been made, but commends passage of the 2004-05 state budget that will allow school districts to finalize local budgets as many students have already started classes and millions more retun in the fall.
"Students, teachers and schools will certainly feel pain in this budget, but I congratulate the Governor and the Legislature for compromising and passing a state budget that provides cost of living and student growth increases for all K-12 schools and community colleges," said Barbara E. Kerr, president of the 335,000-member CTA. "In addition, the money restored to our UC and CSU systems will help thousands of students this year."
The 2004-05 budget increases overall K-14 education spending by more than $2 billion from current levels. It includes full funding of Class Size Reduction, special education and programs that support our schools of greatest need. It restores $200 million to community colleges and money to allow more than 6,000 students to attend UC and CSU schools. The budget protects the integrity of Proposition 98 and guarantees that any money owed to our schools under the minimum-funding provisions will be restored.
But Kerr also warned that the barrage of cuts to public education cannot continue. With the passage of this budget, California K-12 classrooms have lost more than $9.4 billion in cuts and funding deferrals in the past four years.
"Our public schools cannot continue to suffer losses of this magnitude and maintain the quality education our students deserve," said Kerr. "Politicians like to talk about putting students and public education first. It's time to stop talking and start looking for some real, long-term and stable funding solutions to meet the needs of our students. Without new revenues for our schools, our students will suffer even more."
Kerr also objected to one provision of the state budget that suspends the teacher tax credit for two years. "Singling out teachers for tax increases in the middle of the year is outrageous," said Kerr. "This tax credit offsets the hundreds of dollars teachers spend out of their own pockets each year to buy basic supplies for their students and classrooms. They don't deserve to be penalized a second time for providing what the state does not."