CA Finance News Through July 31
Federal News
The U.S. Department of Education has just released various documents regarding funds authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The documents include:
- fact sheets on Race to the Top funds (http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/factsheet.html)
- Innovation Grants (http://www.ed.gov/programs/innovation/factsheet.html)
- the Teacher Incentive Fund (http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/factsheet.html)
- State Longitudinal Data Systems (http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-17908_PI.pdf)
- Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-17906_PI.pdf)
While President Obama chided California for not using test scores to evaluate teachers, Education Superintendent Jack O’Connell labeled it a misunderstanding. Meanwhile Los Angeles has submitted a direct appeal to Secretary Duncan to bypass the State.
A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit by low-income families in Richmond, Hayward and Los Angeles challenging education rules that classified trainees in state-approved programs as “highly qualified teachers.”
Sacramento News
While Governor’s signature on 2009/10 budget drew the usual reactions from the interested parties, few believe that State budget woes are fixed. In fact, one credit agency is already projecting a $15 billion deficit for next year.
Reforming State and Local Governance
The Governor has called a Special Session of the Legislature to see if it can straighten out the state’s tax system.
The diversion of property taxes from cities, counties and school districts began before Prop 13.
Another effort to reform term limits is making the rounds in the Legislature.
School District Impacts
File under Orange County Register spin of the budget impact on education. California’s public schools should be able to weather an anticipated $6 billion budget cut in the coming year as long as they don’t rescind any layoffs or restore any slashed programs and services, a leading educational consulting firm said.
Martinez school district received good news, when City Council approved a $500,000 loan to the school district.
In the spirit of the Full Monty, a Washington school district fund raising efforts includes 12 islands fathers and residents are wearing their birthday suits in a new 2010 calendar dubbed “the DreamBoats”.
CA Finance News Through July 24
Federal News
Work on continues on the development of common state standards. A draft copy of common state standards was leaked and made available on the Internet.
California could lose out on millions of federal education dollars unless legislators change a law that prevents it from using student test scores to measure teachers’ performance, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is expected to announce in a speech today.
Sacramento News
The budget deal was reached on Monday night. Cities and counties were not happy, the teacher’s union were split on supporting the budget deal and the newspapers had unfavorable headlines regarding the budget deal. The California High School Exit Exam survived though not for special needs students. Ron Bennett, from School Services of California, provided an explanation of what budget deal meant to K-12 education. The Senate had approved the budget deal on Friday morning and the Assembly was still voting.
Reforming State and Local Governance
Los Angeles columnist Michael Hiltzik commented on the flawed effort to reform taxes via the Commission on the 21st Century Economy.
Phil Ting, San Francisco County Assessor, continues his crusade to change Prop 13.
Jon Fleischman from the Flash Report shares his perspective why he still believes in term limits.
Over 50 Alameda residents who took an online survey believe changes are needed including protecting local revenues, reducing the 2/3 requirement for local tax approval, better budgeting practices at the State level and modifying term limits. The complete results are here.
If you are on Facebook, you can join hundreds of other elected officials in supporting Rebuilding California. The Facebook fan page is here.
School District Impacts
With State revenues dropping more and more school district are looking to parcel taxes. Long Beach approved passing a tax on the 2010 ballot while San Diego will pay over $125,000 to study the parcel tax issue. In the meantime, one San Diego school board members wants more volunteers to help the school district.
Martinez school district’s $500,000 loan from Martinez stalls.
It is official, the Governor signed legislation for King City Joint Union High School District takeover.
CA Finances News Through July 17
Federal News
Public Policy Institute of California issued School Accountability and Administrator Incentives in California which examines how state and federal accountability programs have affected the incentives of principals, superintendents, and school board members – finding some evidence that the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2001) may have made principals and school board members more accountable for student achievement. However, the report finds no effect on the incentives of school superintendents. This report also recommends a number of specific changes to the NCLB, should it be reauthorized.
Sacramento News
While there was a wave of optimism on Wednesday, reality set in. While most agree that schools should be repaid for the deficit factor created by the budget crisis, the fight is over making the promise to pay more explicit.
The longer the Legislature and the Governor take to resolve the current budget crisis, the louder the cries for reform get.
The fate of the California High School Exit Exam still lies in the hands of the Governor and Legislature after The state Board of Education decided unanimously last week to keep the California High School Exit Exam.
The blue-ribbon commission charged with overhauling California’s tax system is heading for an ideological clash that could stall any meaningful recommendations to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature. Meanwhile, there is another ballot initiative being circulated to close corporate loopholes passed since last September.
School District Impacts
Eureka School District is defending using the summer layoff provision.
Whittier School District employees approved between five and seven furlough days or about a 4.75% savings.
CA Finance News Through July 10
Federal News
A new California Budget Project analysis examines how funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help K-12 schools.
Sacramento News
Last Friday’s call for suspension of Prop 98 began to unravel pretty quickly. On Saturday, published reports showed the Governor was willing to reconsider his proposal to suspend Prop 98. The California Teachers Association hammered Governor Schwarzenegger for his suggestion to further reduce spending on public schools in a new TV ad. On Thursday, the Education Coalition sent a letter to Senator Aanestad expressing their strong opposition to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to suspend Prop 98. Budget talks have ground to a halt as staffers try to estimate the implications of Prop 98 and receipt of Federal stimulus funds.
With State workers facing 20% reduction in salaries, one begins to wonder if school employees will be willing to accept similar reductions to save jobs. A simpler solution would be if the Legislature could suspend the Rodda Act, and shorten the school year across the state, thus relieving local school boards of difficult negotiations. It is wishful thinking considering the power unions wield in Sacramento.
The two-thirds rule for passing a State budget has been around since the New Deal and budgets used to get passed. So what’s the hang-up? Power: Nobody’s got it.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell has released updated results of the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) in an effort to demonstrate the need maintain the CAHSEE testing.
State officials are in the early stages of redrawing California’s political districts with a first-in-the-nation process that has major implications for future state Legislatures.
Time magazine wrote an article How California’s Fiscal Woes Began: A Crisis 30 Years in the Making
The California School Boards Association can be followed on Twitter. CSBA_Now provides breaking news impacting California School districts.
School District Impacts
With the passage of the June 30th deadline for passing school budgets and summer break, news coverage of school districts will be lighter than usual. This week they were stories about impacts on class size increases, high school athletics and bus services.
School districts experiencing fiscal problems before the May Revise need to take immediate action. The West Contra Costa school district board voted to force a contract on the teachers union and set the stage for a possible strike. For the rest of the school districts, it is only mattoer of time before the ticking time bomb forces them to deal with their employees.
CA Finance News Through July 3
Federal News
Secretary Duncan attended the NEA annual meeting and challenged teachers unions to embrace historically controversial ways of promoting teacher effectiveness, including offering merit pay and evaluating instructors based on student test scores.
Sacramento News
Complicating the last minute budget negotiations was Governor’s introduction of pension reform for new state employees. Unfortunately, it does not save any money now, but billions in about 30 years.
The three bills that failed June 30th would have deferred about $3.6 billion in payments to schools, and shifted some money out of redevelopment agencies to fund local school districts. But the Legislature’s failure to act has altered the Proposition 98 formula used to determine school funding, and increased the state’s future obligation to public schools by an estimated $11 billion over several years. Unfortunately, the Governor immediately called for a suspension to Prop 98 which drew this reaction State Superintendent O’Connell.
On Thursday, the State began issuing IOUs.
A California court ruled that the state’s attempt to divert $1 billion in gas tax revenue from transit agencies to the general fund is illegal — a dose of good news for beleaguered bus and rail lines that have been cutting service, raising fares and laying off workers
State Superintendent announced a new streamlined organizational structure at the CDE.
With no debate, a bailout bill for the King City Joint Union High School District quickly passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on July 1st.
As Prop 13 gets more notice during tough economic times, Oakland residents will vote on closing one of the Prop13 loopholes related to commercial property transfer tax.
Many wealthy communities across Southern California have recently passed parcel taxes to help their beleaguered schools. But the defeat this week of a similar levy in a less affluent, larger school district in the San Gabriel Valley offers a look at the challenges that could face parcel tax proposals in big-city school systems in Los Angeles and Long Beach
Progressive Robert Cruickshank believes the media is buying into conservative spin on How We Got Here.
School District Headlines
19 school districts submitted Negative Certifications and 89 school districts submitted Qualified Certifications for the second interim reporting according the CDE. Look for a dramatic increase when school districts submit their 2009/10 annual budgets.
Staying the Course
- Los Gatos Union’s loss of funding won’t hit the classroom
- Bradley Union School District Board votes to keep small class size, program and aides
- Salinas City Elementary School District board OKs budget
- Pittsburg school district approves budget
Implementing Cuts
- State, local budget cuts slash adult education across the state
- Can the community save Kern High JV sports?
- Lucia Mar approves $77 million budget budget includes $9.4 million in cuts which was achieved by teacher and staff layoffs and increased fees and larger classes for next year
- Layoffs help Monterey County Office of Education balance budget
- Vista Unified School District, a multiyear look at revenue tells a sobering story
- Music supporters in Mt. Diablo school district launch foundation to save programs
- Mt. Diablo school board adopts budget, finalizes cuts, discusses school donation equity