CTA is doing battle in Sacramento and in legislative districts throughout the state to protect vital classroom programs, including class size reduction, from budget cuts.
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Wearing buttons saying no to the prospect of an education recession, CTA officers line up support for the association's position that would spare schools from excessive cuts as legislators confront the budget shortfall. Shown here are President Wayne Johnson (center) with Assembly Members Jackie Goldberg (right) and Fabian Nunez (left). |
With California facing a budget deficit now pegged at nearly $35 billion, lawmakers have approved two measures that would raise some $4 billion in new revenues annually. The bills would also defer or cut $12.8 billion in spending in the 2002-03 fiscal year, the bulk of it from non-education spending.
Meeting in a special session, the Assembly and the Senate have passed two bills: ABX1 4 would boost revenues from vehicle license fees; ABX1 8 would reduce state expenditures. Both bills are being held up in the Legislature because the governor has threatened to veto the boost in vehicle license fees. Technical language in the bills requires the governor to sign both or neither goes into effect.
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President-elect Barbara E. Kerr with Assembly Member Nunez. |
ABX1 8 would reduce K-12 school funding by about $2.2 billion this year. CTA succeeded in keeping out of the bill all across-the-board cuts, reductions to the base revenue limit, teacher furloughs and class size increases. CTA's statewide mobilization has also blocked the governor's proposed 3.66 percent across-the-board reduction in revenue limits and categorical programs, his proposed additional 7.46 percent cut in categorical program funding, and his proposed cuts in adult education and regional occupational centers.
"If the governor signs the budget bill produced by the special session, there will be little need, if any, to cut district budgets for the current year," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "Any urgency on the part of district administrators to lay off teachers is unjustified and probably intended to intimidate local bargaining teams."
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Vice President-elect David A. Sanchez (center) with Assembly Members Marco Firebaugh and Rebecca Cohn. |
As approved by the Legislature, ABX1 8 would:
- Defer $1.087 billion in P-2 public education apportionment payments from June until July. By making the funds the equivalent of an early payment of Proposition 98 funds due to schools in 2003-04, the deferral has the effect of slowing the growth in the Prop. 98 funding base by that amount.
- Allow local districts to use up to 50 percent of restricted and unrestricted reserves to offset midyear cuts, excluding reserves for capital outlay.
- Waive the local deferred maintenance match for 2002-03.
- Defer $122 million in state mandate claims.
- Cut $103 million in 2002-03 instructional materials funding.
- Reduce funds for the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program by $21.8 million.
- Reduce funding for school libraries by $11.6 million.
- Suspend the Golden State Exam for a savings of $7.2 million.
- Cut the California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) by $1.3 million.
- Cut community college funding by $179 million instead of the $350 million Gov. Davis proposed in his January budget.
- Reduce CSU system funding by $59.6 million as a 2.2 percent across-the-board cut.
Len Feldman
