The CTA Board of Directors is urging teachers and other school employees to vote no on Prop. 53 on the Oct. 7 ballot. The constitutional amendment would take money from the general fund to spend on state infrastructure projects, but would specifically prohibit spending any of the money on building or renovating schools or community colleges.
The measure would require specified percentages of general fund revenues to be set aside for acquisition, construction, rehabilitation and modernization of infrastructure. The state's legislative analyst estimates revenue transfers at $850 million in 2006 with the amount growing to several billion dollars in future years.
"It takes money out of the state's general fund that would otherwise be available for funding children's programs, health care, schools, and state colleges and universities," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. "In addition, it creates a new multibillion dollar spending program in spite of our current budget deficit and locks those spending increases into our state constitution. Billions of dollars will be taken from existing revenues each year - regardless of California's future needs."
Since the initiative contains no accountability measures, taxpayers won't know how the money is being spent. Prop. 53 would give the Legislature complete control over the money with no oversight, no annual audits and no guarantees that tax dollars are not wasted.