Protect Prop 98 School Funding

Background

What is Prop 98?

Passed by California voters in 1988, Prop 98 guarantees funding in our state budget for public schools and community colleges. This year, that guarantee is $121.4 billion.

What is happening?

The governor’s proposed budget revision clearly ignores the will of voters by proposing to withhold $3.9 billion from California’s constitutionally-guaranteed Prop. 98 funding minimum. For more than 40 years, we have followed the law and invested a minimum guarantee into public schools. Violating that guarantee in proposed budgets causes serious harm to public schools. This means overcrowded, under-resourced, destabilized classrooms.

Prop 98 isn’t a piggy bank you get to borrow from. It’s the law that entitles our students to the funding they need to learn. Prop 98 is the floor — not the ceiling — and this Governor is trying to dig a big hole in that floor instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share.
— CTA President David B. Goldberg

The same week that Gov. Newsom provides a May Revision to his budget, more than 2,000 educators will find out if their layoff notice is permanent heading into the next school year. These are public school educators who have devoted their entire career to educating California students, and their future is in jeopardy with threats to withhold vital funds from our local school districts. In Pasadena, there’s a former Teacher of the Year who is being laid off. A school librarian was honored at the same school board meeting when they found out their layoff notice is permanent. California is the fourth largest economy in the world. Our schools should reflect that dominance – there is no reason for public school educators to be facing layoffs.

What's in the May Revise?

May budget revision includes critical investments and huge victories for California schools and communities. Aside from the proposed withholding of Prop. 98 funds, the revision includes:

✅ A proposed $2.4 billion increase in special education funding.

✅ $1.5 billion in funding for community schools.

✅ 4.31% cost-of-living adjustment.

✅ Proposed funding for 14 weeks of paid family leave for public school educators (AB 65).

❌ $3.9 billion withheld from the constitutionally-guaranteed Prop. 98 funding minimum.

It’s clear the governor heard educators’ voices on several of our priorities in our fight to Fully Fund Schools. These are historic gains and we are eager to see them reflected in the final June budget.

Where do things stand?

The California Senate and Assembly have both released plans that honor the Constitution and protect Prop. 98 funding for schools. We demand the governor and the Legislature work together on a final budget that fully funds our schools and invests every dollar of Prop. 98 funds owed to California students. We are living in an era of unprecedented wealth, where the rich continue to get richer as the rest of us struggle to make ends meet. The governor and Legislature have the power to ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and raise revenue to fully fund schools and communities.