With projections of sharply reduced state revenues in 2001-02 making the challenges greater, CTA has redoubled its efforts to secure additional funding for California's schools of greatest need.
California may be facing a budget shortfall by next year, but CTA believes the state can't afford to wait any longer to provide additional support to teachers and students in schools scoring in the lowest two deciles on the Academic Performance Index (API).
"These schools are facing the challenges of poverty and classroom crowding," emphasizes CTA President Wayne Johnson. "They are our highest priority for new state funding, even in the coming tight budget year."
CTA is urging the governor and lawmakers to give these schools new funds and flexibility in how these funds should be used.
In addition to backing a number of measures targeting these schools, CTA is working closely with authors of other measures to bring their proposals more in line with the organization's priorities.
CTA representatives are lobbying in the state Capitol for a comprehensive program that includes new funds, flexibility and a component that involves parents more fully in supporting their children's education.
Below are the major measures CTA is backing. Except where noted, CTA has taken support positions on the measures.
AB 47 by Assembly Member Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) would provide schools within the lowest 20 percent on the API with funding for Parent Centers Facilities Programs. These centers would be located on school sites and designed to encourage parent participation in activities at school and at home.
AB 59 by Assembly Member Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) would ensure that students in schools of greatest need - which are heavily impacted by poverty - will be eligible for medical attention through the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs. The bill would deem that students who receive free or reduced-price lunch programs have established their eligibility for these health programs.
AB 320 by Assembly Member Sarah Reyes (D-Fresno) would help guarantee that poor students will be able to get to school for special targeted programs. The measure would provide additional funding for school transportation for students in intersession, summer school and after-school programs.
AB 401 by Assembly Member Cardenas aims to help schools of greatest need attract and retain experienced teachers. The measure would establish a study to determine what factors must be addressed.
AB 481 by Assembly Members Manny Diaz (D-San Jose) and Marco Firebaugh (D-East Los Angeles) would provide $450 million for schools in the bottom 20 percent on the API for a range of items, including instructional materials, staff development time, housing credits for teachers, staff salaries and other payments. CTA is co-sponsoring the bill.
AB 612 by Assembly Member Bill Leonard (R-Redlands) would provide $900 per student for an optional class-size reduction program in grades 4-12. CTA is co-sponsoring the bill.
AB 961 by Assembly Member Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) would create the Challenged-School Teacher Attraction and Retention Program to help assure these schools a full complement of fully qualified teachers.
SB 466 by Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) is a wide-ranging bill that would provide incentives to help improve schools in the lowest 20 percent on the API.
SB 493 by Sen. Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto) would also clarify that students on free or reduced-price lunches are automatically eligible for Health Families and Medi-Cal programs.
SB 955 by Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-San Jose) provides the Cal Grant T program to provide $11,000 in forgivable loans to persons who will teach for at least four years in a designated school, including schools in the lowest 20 percent on the API.
Len Feldman
[Editor's note: The situation in the state Capitol is changing very rapidly. Both locations and content of these measures were current at press time, but may have changed by the time you read this. For an update, check the Politics and Legislation section of CTA's Web site at www.cta.org.]
