Prop. 98 lawsuit settlement has strings attached
Published: October 1, 2006
Legislation settling the lawsuit against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over Proposition 98 funding falls short of the hopes of many advocates for local education, according to Rick Pratt, CSBA’s assistant executive director for Governmental Relations.
Senate Bill 1133 by Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, will provide nearly $3 billion over seven years to help low-performing public schools close the achievement gap. It resolves the 2005 suit against the governor by state Superintendent Jack O’Connell and the California Teachers Association, who charged that Schwarzenegger had violated Proposition 98 funding guarantees in his 2004-05 budget.
The measure, called the Quality Education Investment Act of 2006, will provide additional funds to approximately 500 to 600 public schools ranked in the lowest two deciles by the state’s Academic Performance Index—schools with the highest percentages of low-income students, minorities and English learners. It will also provide additional resources to help community colleges expand career education programs that are integrated with high schools.
Meeting the requirements for class-size reduction, additional high school counselors and teacher and principal training will consume a significant portion of the funding. Schools will be able to propose alternative programs serving up to 15 percent of all students benefiting from the funds, but they must provide research-based evidence of the alternatives’ effectiveness.
“While we agreed to target the money to low-performing schools, we did not agree to restricting the use of most of the money to class-size reduction and hiring more counselors. We wanted districts to have more flexibility in how the funds would be used,” Pratt said.
The state superintendent of public instruction will identify eligible school districts, solicit funding applications and submit them to the state Board of Education for review and approval. Funds are to be distributed to urban, suburban and rural districts throughout the state. Qualifying schools will receive $500 per pupil for grades K-3, $900 for grades 4-8 and $1,000 for grades 9-12. In addition, county offices of education will receive $5 million in 2007-08 to support regional assistance projects, and county superintendents will receive $2 million per year to administer the act.
Related link:
For the bill’s text, go to www.csba.org/gr/index.cfmand click “CSBA positions on legislation”