CTA President Barbara E. Kerr and other members of the statewide Education Coalition joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a Jan. 8 news conference to unveil a budget agreement that protects core funding for public schools and promises to restore any money cut from public education.
The agreement, which is part of the governor's budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1, splits the $4 billion that education was expected to receive in the next fiscal year under Proposition 98 minimum funding guarantees, using half of it to reduce the deficit and letting public education keep the other half.
"It represents a sacrifice by our students, teachers and schools," said Kerr, "but we believe it is a good and fair agreement in the context of the state's fiscal crisis."
The governor praised the education community for its willingness to be flexible while the state attempts to cope with its deficit.
In turn, Kerr thanked the governor for work he has done with teachers in this difficult budget year. "The way he has involved us in these discussions is a first," she told the media. "We will work with the governor and the Legislature to get the agreement enacted."
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CTA President Barbara E. Kerr takes questions from reporters at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's news conference about the budget agreement for schools.
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The state is facing a record $15 billion deficit, thanks in part to the repeal of the car tax increase and the lack of political will to raise taxes. Education was expecting major cuts in the coming months, including the possible suspension of Proposition 98 funding guarantees. "We knew our public schools could not completely escape the budget knife, but we feared there would be some legislators who would want to slice, rather than carve," says Kerr.
The agreement CTA and the Education Coalition worked out with the governor blocks midyear cuts in education, carries forward to next year the current K-12 and community college funding levels, and restores the $200 million that was cut from the community college system last year. The agreement also provides full funding for student enrollment growth and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for all categorical programs K-14 in the next fiscal year, thereby maintaining programs that deliver direct services to students. Full funding is anticipated for class size reduction, special education and programs that support schools of greatest need.
There's a commitment to do the same in 2005-06.
The agreement also protects the integrity of Proposition 98 by raising the base for future years just as if the entire $4 billion had been available to public education in 2004-05. It includes a pledge to restore the deferred $2 billion in better times. Seventy-five percent of the repayment will come as general-purpose funding for K-14 schools rather than new initiatives.
The package also includes a plan to restore to schools more than $1 billion the state owes because it has failed to pay everything required under Prop. 98 for the past 10 years. The reconciliation payments will start in 2006.
Presidents of local CTA chapters traveled to Sacramento Jan. 21 to begin the work of convincing legislators to support the proposed budget and avoid deeper cuts to schools.
There may yet be more sacrifices, warns Kerr, "and we're still fighting for some important issues, like ensuring student access to higher education and making sure all children receive adequate health care." But she gives the governor a lot of credit for involving the education community before starting the budget process. "It's always better to be at the table than yelling from the sidelines."
