Governor’s budget plan a step in the right direction, but falls short of adequately funding the public schools
Sacramento, CA – The California School Boards Association today expressed appreciation that the May Revise to the governor’s 2008-09 state budget restores some of the funding that had been deleted in his January proposals, but expressed concern that it offers no short-term plan to raise additional revenue to protect public education and other vital human services from devastating cuts. It is somewhat reassuring to see that the governor has reduced the size of his recommended cuts to education and dropped proposals to suspend Proposition 98—perhaps partly in response to months of public outcry against his January budget proposals. That said, CSBA has serious reservations about the “buy now, pay later” nature of the governor’s proposals to pay for public schools by borrowing against the future.
“The May Revise is an improvement over the governor’s January proposal, however major personnel and program cuts will still have to be made at the local level – leaving school districts in the lurch as they try to piece together their budgets,” said Paul H. Chatman, CSBA president and a board member for the Ocean View Elementary School District in Ventura County. “This is a welcome step in the right direction, but it doesn’t address the fundamental lack of adequate funding so that our students can continue achieving the high standards California sets for them.”
CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin added, “The devil is clearly in the details; but the bottom line is that schools statewide will still be woefully underfunded – resulting in layoffs, larger class sizes and cuts in programs. We’re carefully analyzing the May Revise and the impact it will have on public education, including the proposed Budget Stabilization Act and the likely suppression of future growth in the Prop. 98 funding guarantee, should the BSA be adopted in its current form.”
For interviews with Scott P. Plotkin, executive director, CSBA, or Rick Pratt, assistant executive director, governmental relations, CSBA, please contact Susan Swigart at 916.296-5873.