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.
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