Survey shows support for both resources, reform

An extensive survey of top California business, legislative, education and policy leaders makes it clear that the state’s movers and shakers can come together to design an effective and politically realistic strategy for adequately funding and reforming the state’s public schools.

That’s one of the most encouraging findings to emerge from the first phase of the School Finance Exploration Project, a survey of more than 70 educators, business leaders, elected officials, parents and community activists that’s part of a collaborative effort by CSBA and the California PTA, League of Women Voters and Children Now.
CSBA and its partner organizations have spent the last two years asking influential Californians what they expect from schools and what strategies they would support to increase public investment in public education. One critically important aspect of the project is to identify, where possible, issues on which most of California’s key decision-makers can agree.

Although they disagreed on many issues, a majority of those interviewed said they believe that schools need more flexibility, more staff and more resources. Most also said they would support allocating more money for public education provided that schools demonstrate they are using resources effectively and providing excellent education for all students. Researchers also found that there is widespread support for targeting resources to educate those students—English learners, students from poor families, children from foster homes and students of color—who are lagging behind the state’s most successful students.

As part of the next phase of the project, researchers will return to their interview subjects to gather more specific recommendations, with the aim of identifying realistic and effective reform strategies.

The School Finance Exploration project is underwritten by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the public-spirited groups that paid for “Getting Down to Facts,” the comprehensive collection of studies on California’s public school finance requested by the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commission on Education Excellence, state legislative leaders and state schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell.

CSBA and other public school advocates say it’s critical that lawmakers, the governor, parents and business recognize that quality schools and well-educated citizens are the keys to a prosperous future for all Californians—whether or not they have school-aged children. That’s one reason that CSBA and its partners in the School Finance Exploration Project are focusing so hard on public outreach and coalition building.
Begun in 2005, the project received another two years of funding from Hewlett in 2006 to continue its work.

Begun in 2005, the project received another two years of funding from Hewlett in 2006 to continue its work. This phase of the project focuses in large measure on community engagement, with the aim of creating a grassroots network of school and community leaders who can advocate for policies and resources that support excellent schools.