Legislative Action: Added urgency for May 18-19 event

Growing deficit projections in Sacramento and stark budgeting choices facing school districts and county offices of education throughout the state set the stage for this year’s CSBA Legislative Action Conference, scheduled May 18-19 in Sacramento.

The estimated shortfall in the 2008-09 budget has grown from $14.5 billion in January to $16 billion, absent corrective action. A veteran expert on the state budget—who has recently been added to the speaker list for Legislative Action—says the 10 percent across-the-board spending reductions proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would wreak havoc on essential services.

“The impact of a cuts-only solution would be devastating on schools, health care, programs for people with disabilities,” Jean Ross, executive director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit California Budget Project, told a newspaper reporter earlier this month. “I think it’s essential that we have a balanced solution.”

Ross will address the Legislative Action audience at the Monday breakfast session, wrapping up a series of detailed briefings before conferees conclude the two-day event with face-to-face meetings with their legislators and staffs. Other speakers will include Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, CSBA leaders and senior staff members, and Jack Bedell, president of the California County Boards of Education

Registration for the two-day event is $245.

Related link:
Register @ http://connect.csba.org/isgweb/Events/CalendarEventsListView.aspx; on-site registration will also be available.