Lawmakers have now held their first hearings on three of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's CTA-opposed "reform bills." A fourth bad bill on legislative redistricting - ACAx1 3 (McCarthy) - is still awaiting its first hearing in the Assembly District Representation Committee.
CTA and our Coalition partners testified at a series of hearings last week, urging lawmakers to reject the governor's "reform" of
- public employee pensions;
- teacher pay,
- due process protections, and probation; and
- Proposition 98.
They also asked legislators to reject the governor's spending proposal to renege on his promise to repay schools more than $2 billion he borrowed during 2004-05 year and his plan to fund schools below the Prop. 98 minimum for 2005-06.
Testimony Taken, But No Votes Yet
In both Assembly and Senate committee hearings, lawmakers heard testimony from supporters of the onerous measures and opponents, including CTA and other Education Coalition members. No votes were taken on the bills, and all three bills are expected to come up again for further testimony and votes soon.
For his own part, Gov. Schwarzenegger held a news conference on Mar. 1 saying he was beginning to gather signatures for three initiatives that he would push all the way unless lawmakers give him a reform package he likes. He then jumped into a Humvee tagged "Reform 1" and headed to a restaurant to begin his "signature drive," where he was met by protesting public workers.
Below is a quick update on the action taken on the governor's CTA-opposed Special Session bills.
CTA-opposed ACAx1 1 by Assembly Member Keith Richman (R-Northridge).
CTA-R Secretary-Treasurer Beverly Carlson and CTA advocates testified on Mar. 2 about the bill's negative impact. It would undermine public employee retirements by converting the State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) from defined benefit into 401k plans without a guaranteed benefit. The author claimed the bill would let retirees become millionaires, but CTA countered that teachers would have to work 40 years and start out at $45,000 annually to come even close. No vote was taken, and the measure remains alive in the Assembly Public Sector Committee.
CTA-opposed ACAx1 4, by Assembly Member Rick Keene (R-Chico),
which would destroy Prop. 98's minimum funding protection for schools, was heard on Mar. 2 by the Assembly Budget Process panel. Supt. Jack O'Connell and Coalition representatives urged lawmakers to oppose the governor's proposed structural changes to Proposition 98 that would permanently cut $15,000 out of every classroom in California, about $600 per student. ACAx1 4 could also trigger across-the-board cuts in education and other state programs at least twice a year. The bill is pending.
The "merit pay/ due process attack" bill - CTA-opposed SCA1x 1 by Senator George Runner (R-Antelope Valley)
- The measure that would impose merit pay and gut teachers' due-process protections was heard in the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 23. CTA advocates and Coalition representatives pointed out the measure's many flaws - including its linking of teachers' pay to student test scores, its creation of a 10-year probationary period, and its ability to override conflicting provisions in contracts renewed or bargaining after its effective date. The bill is awaiting further action in Senate Education.
Here's What You Can Do:
Help your CTA Legislative Coordinator, Chapter, and Staff to generate letters and phone calls to lawmakers in their district offices in opposition to these bills.