The Assembly Education Committee has approved a CTA-supported measure that could provide $2.5 billion for public education without raising state taxes.
ACA 26, a constitutional amendment introduced by Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), is one of several major funding measures that CTA is helping to move through the Legislature this session.
ACA 26 would freeze at the current level reductions in the state's Vehicle License Fee (VLF). Fees have already been reduced by 35 percent.
The Villaraigosa bill would use funds earmarked for any future reductions in the licensing fees - estimated to be as much as $2.5 billion - to raise per-pupil funding toward the national average.
California allocates about $1,000 per student less than the national average for public schools. That keeps California's national ranking at around 40th.
ACA 26 would specify that half of the new funding must be sent out to local school districts and county offices of education "without strings." These new discretionary dollars could be used for instructional purposes as determined by parents, teachers and school officials at the local level.
The remaining 50 percent of the funds could be used for mandated items, including class size reduction.
Among its major provisions, ACA 26 would specify that the funds would become part of the Proposition 98 base and thus a permanent part of future education budgets.
CTA representatives have been reminding lawmakers that significant boosts in per-pupil allocations are required to help schools meet the state's new world-class education standards.
If approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gray Davis, ACA 26 would put the measure's provisions before the voters in November as a "legislative initiative." Their approval would be required to incorporate the measure's provisions in the state constitution.
ACA 26 is predicated upon the fact that the state's unprecedented revenue surge will continue at least for the near term. Current estimates suggest the state may see a record $8 billion in new revenues by the end of the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
As ACA 26 wends its way through the legislative process, CTA representatives in Sacramento are continuing efforts to augment school appropriations through the state budget process.
A key test will take place next month when Gov. Davis releases the revised version of his state spending plan, the "May Revise."
School supporters will be reviewing that document closely. In recent addresses, Gov. Davis has promised schools "ample" discretionary funding if the state's revenue surge continues.
Len Feldman
