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Governor's Final Budget Continues to Shortchange Schools and Students
July 6, 2005, SACRAMENTO -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released the following statement on the budget agreement reached between legislative leaders and Governor Schwarzenegger:
"I'm pleased a state budget agreement was reached last night so that school operations won't be impacted by a long delay in funding. I am, however, very disappointed in the lack of commitment to education reflected in this agreement.
"In fact this budget does not represent a significant increase in funding for our students. It barely keeps our schools afloat at a time when many districts are facing serious budget shortfalls. Nor does the budget include the $3.1 billion our schools were promised under Proposition 98 and the agreement reached with the Governor last year. I will continue to fight for significant new investment in California's public school system so our schools will not continue to be shortchanged.
"Unfortunately, the Governor's claim that the budget provides more than $10,000 per student is misleading and should not be interpreted as money going to classrooms. For example, that figure includes $50 million for the State Library and $38 million for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
"The $10,000-plus-per-student figure also includes money for education over which the state had no control. His calculation includes: $7.6 billion in federal funding, $1.5 billion to repay local debt service on locally raised money for school building projects, and $3.8 billion for other local revenues raised by local districts for their own schools - everything from booster club bake sales to donations from local businesses. The reason why every major state-to-state comparison of school funding does not include such funding sources is because they have nothing to do with a state's effort to support its schools.
"Remarkably, the Governor even includes parcel taxes raised at the local level by citizens who believed it necessary to raise their taxes to support a school system under-funded by the state. While taking credit for a state budget that does not raise taxes to improve schools, the governor also takes credit for local taxes raised for that purpose.
"Finally, the Governor's portrayal of increased funding to pay for the growth in student population and provide a cost-of-living increase to schools as new dollars to fund classroom programs is misleading, as this money simply allows our schools to maintain a shaky status quo. California has one of the highest costs of living of any state, the largest, most diverse and most challenging student population, yet sadly, its education funding still ranks 8th from the bottom of all states.
"While this budget unfortunately represents a status quo for our schools, we now must focus on the November special election and defeating the Governor's Live Within Our Means Act. That initiative would do serious long-term damage to our schools by eviscerating the state's Constitutional guarantee of stable school funding."
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