CTA, PTA Blast Bills to Gut Class Size Reduction

Two Dropped, But Threat Continues

CTA Secretary-Treasurer David A. Sanchez and representatives of the California PTA on March 5 slammed a trio of measures that would allow school district administrators to jam more students into California's already overcrowded classrooms. The three bills were held in the committee without a vote, but at least one is expected to gain further consideration as early as April 9.

In testimony before the Assembly Education Committee, Secretary-Treasurer Sanchez and PTA Representative Bunnie Colvin took on CTA-opposed AB 42 by Assembly Member Lynn Daucher (R-Brea), AB 212 by Assembly Member Bill Maze (R-Visalia), and AB 228 by Assembly Member Tim Leslie (R-Roseville). The measures would allow school district officials to cram as many as 24 students in each classroom in the class-size reduction program, four more than the current cap. The three bills were ultimately collapsed into one bill, AB 42.

"The California Teachers Association believes that small classes - with no more than 20 students - provide students with the individual attention that is helping improve student performance. For that reason, CTA strongly opposes the three measures before you," Sanchez testified. "Each will -- under the guise of flexibility -- undermine the most effective and popular education reform implemented over the past seven years -- class-size reduction."

Following the testimony - and defense of the bills by school board and administrative groups - Assembly Members Maze and Leslie agreed to drop their measures and signed on as principal co-authors of the Daucher proposal, AB 42.

Technically, all three Assembly bills are being held in committee, but a committee "work group" is being formed to discuss provisions from these and other class size cap bills slated for consideration later. Proponents hope that the work group will be able to forge a single class size bill. AB 42 is the current vehicle for the consensus legislation.

Assembly Member Daucher added two amendments to her measure. The first converts the measure into an "urgency" bill. As such, it now would take effect as soon as signed by the governor. To gain approval with an "urgency" clause, a bill needs a two-thirds vote of both houses.

The second added a "sunset provision," meaning the bill would remain in effect for just three years - until 2006.

The committee is shortly expecting another Assembly bill addressing the class size cap: AB 1477, by Assembly Member George Nakano (D-Torrance), is thus far a "technical or spot" bill without a great deal of detail.

Staff for the Assembly Education Committee told E-PAL that a single consensus class-size cap measure could be taken up for a vote as early as April 9, just prior to the Legislature's spring recess, or on April 23, just after lawmakers return to the capital.

Three additional class size measures have Senate authors.

SB 837, by Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Los Angeles), would allow districts to jam as many as 25 students in "reduced-sized" classes. It is awaiting a hearing in its first policy committee.

SB 10x, by Sen. Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto), would increase the class size cap by two students, to 22. The measure has gained Senate approval and will eventually head to the Assembly Education Committee. A second Sher measure, SB 556, is still in "spot bill" form and is pending in the Senate.

CTA and the PTA are part of a coalition working to protect the class-size reduction program. Other coalition groups include the California Association for the Education of Young Children; California Coalition for Youth; National Coalition of Hispanic Organizations; California Black Chamber of Commerce; Black American Political Association of California (BAPAC); Madres Del Este De Los Angeles; (Mothers of East Los Angeles); Black Employees Association; People for the American Way (PFAW); Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (California ACORN); Industrial Areas Foundation ; and the Gray Panthers of Long Beach.

Even as lawmakers deliberated on the CTA-opposed bills, CTA Board Member Tom Conry, Cypress Teachers Association President Janis Benach, and other teachers in Orange County held a news conference attacking the class size bills and proposed additional cuts in education.

"The strides we have made with class-size reduction have been absolutely phenomenal," Benach told reporters. "To lose that would be very detrimental."

CTA Members:

Continue contacting members of the Assembly Education Committee. Tell them why it is so important to defeat the three CTA-opposed measures - and any other forthcoming bills - that would allow districts to jam more students in classrooms that are already the most overcrowded in the nation. The administrators who are backing this measure claim it will provide "flexibility." Teachers' experiences show that "flexibility" is an administrative code word for diverting money from classrooms to other programs administrators favor. Remind your lawmakers that:

• Maintaining a 20:1 cap is crucial to ensure that students receive the individual attention they need.
• The CTA-opposed proposals will allow districts to keep the additional money they are receiving from the state (about $906 per student). It will not save the state a cent or help it bridge a looming $35 billion budget deficit.
• The bills go counter to the voters' preference. Voters by a more than 70% margin view class size reduction favorably, as one of the most effective education reforms over the past seven years.

(See below for a listing of Assembly Education Committee members.)

Serving on the Assembly Education Committee are the following lawmakers:

(Note: Clicking on the e-mail notation should allow you to e-mail directly to each lawmaker - if you are logged on to your Internet service provider. If the link does not work, you may e-mail each by using the address Assemblymember.lastname@assembly.ca.gov. For instance, Assemblymember Wyland's e-mail address is Assemblymember.wyland@assembly.ca.gov).