Conference Call: Legislative Action Conference will focus on protecting Proposition 98 

With threats to the minimum school funding guarantee looming on the fiscal horizon, the California School Boards Association’s Legislative Action Conference in the state capital May 15-16 will focus on protecting students by preserving Proposition 98.

Each year, hundreds of school board members and other school leaders convene in Sacramento to advocate for public schools and California children in meetings with their respective state legislators. CSBA’s annual Legislative Action Conference also gives school board members the latest information about policy, legislative and other political issues with critical implications for schools.

In a special mailing to CSBA members, conference planners made it clear that Proposition 98 will be the central focus of this year’s conference.

The issue has special urgency for public schools because Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed a budget that fails to honor the agreement he made last year with the education community. The governor promised school leaders that he would protect Proposition 98 guarantees in future years if the Education Coalition agreed to forgo $2 billion to which schools were entitled under the constitution and approved by voters in 1988. He also promised schools would get their fair share of increased state revenue if the economy improved, as it has this year. Voters approved Proposition 98 because they wanted to protect schools from the very kinds of arbitrary cuts that the governor is now proposing.

As part of a vigorous advocacy and information campaign being waged by CSBA and other members of the coalition, school supporters, parents, teachers, school board members and others who care about children are urging the governor and their local elected representatives to follow the will of the people and protect Proposition 98.

At CSBA’s Legislative Action Conference, participants will have the opportunity to hear the latest on state budget negotiations, meet face-to-face with their local legislators, hear briefings by top state leaders and get updates from CSBA officers and governmental relations and policy staff.

For more information or to register for the conference visit www.csba.org or call (800) 266-3382, ext. 3275.