Gov. Newsom’s 2020 Budget Proposal Addresses Concerns That Negatively Impact Students
Contact Claudia Briggs at 916-325-1550
Gov. Prioritizes Teacher Shortage Crisis, Special Education and Resources for Neediest Students
SACRAMENTO – California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd issued the following statement Friday recognizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ongoing commitment to California’s schools and colleges in his 2020 budget proposal, which allocates $84 billion for K-14, an increase of $3.8 billion from last year:
“We embrace Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal released today for many reasons, especially the students we teach and work with every day. It’s clear that the governor recognizes the challenges facing our students and educators, and we applaud him for making strong allocations to address the needs of students and the critical teacher shortage in this state. The $900 million for attracting and recruiting educators will help us make progress toward ensuring our students have teachers who look like them and who are qualified in the areas they teach like Special Education, math and science.
“The federal government has shortchanged our students with special needs for far too long. Gov. Newsom’s $900 million proposal for Special Education support will help offset some of those shortfalls and help provide the resources our students need. We look forward to having fruitful conversations with the governor and the Legislature to ensure all students have the programs and resources they need to succeed.
“The $1.2 billion increase to the Local Control Funding Formula will help local schools provide additional programs for students, especially those with higher needs like English learners, lower-income students and foster youth. The proposal also includes additional funding for early childhood education and for making college more accessible to students.
“Despite California’s economy consistently expanding – now being ranked fifth-largest in the entire world – we have some of the most underfunded schools in the country. We rank 39th in the nation in per-pupil funding, boast the most overcrowded classrooms in the entire country, and suffer from some of the worst ratios of students to counselors and nurses.
“This is why we are supporting the Schools & Communities First (SCF) initiative and why educators are working to get it on the November ballot. SCF guarantees the long-term, steady funding stream that our schools and local communities need. By closing corporate property tax loopholes, we can ensure that $12 billion every year gets reclaimed locally for our schools and local communities.”
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