Beyond the Blackboard

Drive Starts for Tax Hike

Our Children Our Future Education Initiative Launches Signature Drive

California State PTA-Backed Measure Will Also Reduce General Fund Deficit

SAN FRANCISCO,CA - The Our Children Our Future 2012 campaign and the California State PTA today launched a signature-gathering drive to secure a spot for the education initiative on the November 2012 ballot.

The Our Children, Our Future:  Local Schools and Early Education Investment and Bond Debt Reduction Act will provide critically needed funding for public schools and early childhood education. Our Children, Our Future will deliver new revenue directly to schools so local communities can reverse years of education budget cuts and use the funds to improve students' academic achievement. Investing in schools and early childhood education is needed to prepare students to compete in the global economy and protects the future of California's economy. Our Children, Our Future is the only initiative that invests in every child and directly in every local school site to improve educational outcomes.

"This measure will transform our schools and help give California children the education they deserve. It provides vital new resources for our severely underfunded public schools," said Carol Kocivar, president of the California State PTA. "Every student and every public school will benefit - and tough accountability provisions will ensure the money is used to improve student achievement."

California schools this year face a shocking 23 percent reduction in funding compared to 2008. Per-pupil funding in California is 47th in the nation, lagging behind the national average by $2,580 - more than at any time in the past 40 years. Our state ranks dead last in class sizes - 50th out of 50 states - with the largest class sizes in the nation.

"Our schools are in a crisis, and we can't let this continue," said Molly Munger, co-director of the Advancement Project in Los Angeles. "Investing in our schools and early childhood education is the best thing we can do for our economy and our state. This is the ballot measure that will make possible the restoration and transformation of California schools into the safe, stimulating educational environments we need to prepare students to compete in the global economy and secure the future of our economy and our state. Moreover, it recognizes the state's economic crisis and provides near term budget relief. Our state will recover from a broken economy, but we can't recover if we fail an entire generation of children by depriving them of educational opportunities."

Every student and every public school in California will benefit from Our Children, Our Future. The initiative requires that funds must be used to improve student performance and gives local school boards the authority to decide, with community input,  how new education funds will be spent at each school site, rather than mandating a "one- size-fits-all" policy from Sacramento. Under the Our Children, Our Future initiative, no more than one percent of the K-12 funds may be spent on school-district administration, with the rest going directly to school sites on a per-pupil basis to improve educational opportunity and achievement for students. Publicly available independent audits and other tough accountability provisions will ensure that funds are spent appropriately to benefit students.

The California State PTA-backed initiative received title and summary from the California Attorney General's office last week, an approval necessary to begin gathering signatures.

"We're now going full-steam ahead with this initiative," said Addisu Demissie, campaign manager for Our Children, Our Future. "We're funded, we're organized, we have a campaign structure, and we're committed to this superior plan for moving our state forward."

A recent USC Dornsife College/Los Angeles Times statewide poll found that 64 percent of registered voters would pay more taxes to improve school funding, as long as they are confident the money would be spent in their own communities.

Because all Californians share in the benefits of a better-educated workforce, the measure fairly shares the costs among Californians and asks those in the wealthiest one percent to pay the most because they are most able to afford it. The initiative raises income tax rates on a sliding scale from four-tenths of one percent to 2.2 percent on multi-millionaires. To keep the increases affordable, it applies only to incomes after all deductions are taken, and before tax credits are given. It exempts the first $14,632 of income after deductions on joint returns.

The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment and Bond Debt Reduction Act will raise $10 billion annually over the next 12 years for direct investment in public school classrooms and early education programs, and earmarks 30 percent of the new revenue for the first four years to help California pay down education-bond debt to help end the state's budget deficit. For the remaining eight years, the initiative directs 85 percent of the new funds to K-12 schools and 15 percent to early childhood education programs.

Californians can use the Our Children Our Future Benefit Calculator at OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com to determine how much will be raised for their school through the Our Children, Our Future Act.

Local Government Changes Tomorrow: Will It Help Schools?

February 1 marks the end of redevelopment agencies in California. That's caused a lot of hand-wringing among city officials, but schools should be the big winners.

Essentially, redevelpment agencies allowed cities to keep nearly all of the property tax  from a previously identified area. That caused some consternation in the state, Governor Jerry Brown says, because the state was still required to give schools 40 percent of the budget under Prop. 98.

That meant property tax money diverted to cities had to be made up for from other state funds.

Here's a good backgrounder from California Watch

 

 

Will Capistrano Unified's School Year Be Shorter?

A shorter school year could be one result of a worse-than-expected state budget. The non-partisan California Legislative Analyst Office released a report on November 16 that forecasted revenues will be $3.7 billion below estimates used in crafting the 2011-12 budget. But unlike previous years, the current state spending plans calls for automatic cuts in the mid-year budget if revenues did not meet assumptions.

The $3.7 billion is enough to trigger cuts to all levels of education, including $1.4 billion to K-12 schools.

But another proviso this year: State law prevents districts from laying off teachers in mid-year budget cuts. That means districts that have already weathered years of budget cuts have little left to trim, making a week-long furlough at the end of the year an attractive option. A shorter school year was one of the options allowed by the legislature, although the furloughs need teacher approval.

Capistrano Unified trustees on Monday agreed to reopen negotiations with the Capistrano Unified Education Association in light of potential mid-year budget cuts. Three of five non-student days are already counted as furlough days for Capistrano teachers.

Governor Jerry Brown's Department of Finance will issue its own forecast for the remainder of the fiscal year next month, which will determine whether the cuts are made. The fiscal year ends June 30; CUSD’s elementary school year is set to end June 21, if no changes are made.

Here's the LAO report: Download LAO 2011 Mid Year

California Schools Chief Thinks Schools will Avoid Huge Cuts

It was the first year Capistrano Unified Passed its Budget Without (new) Cuts ...

From California Watch:

Former State Superintendent for Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said yesterday that this year's budget, coupled with strong job growth, has convinced him that schools won't be forced into crippling service cuts.

Speaking to about 60 area school officials at the Sacramento County Office of Education, O'Connell dished a gumbo of advice about the new budget and its potential impact on schools. O'Connell was recently hired to become education chief at School Innovations & Advocacy, an education consulting and lobbying firm based in Rancho Cordova.

He was joined by School Innovations & Advocacy advocate Barrett Snider and Kevin Gordon, the group's president, who each took turns explaining some of the complexities of the new budget that are troubling schools. Central to their discussion was helping to calm concerns over vague areas of the budget.

Although lawmakers gave districts the same amount of funds as last year, the new budget contains the possibility of midyear cuts if the state doesn't meet its revenue projections. Under the worst circumstances, districts could be forced to grapple with a $248 million cut in school busing funds and shave up to seven days off the school calendar.

O'Connell, who served two terms as state superintendent of public instruction and 20 years as both a state senator and Assembly member, doesn't think that scenario is realistic. He said he believes the state economy has turned the corner.

See the full story here.

Community Stepped Up for Capistrano Unified Schools

This is from Capistrano Unified School District ...

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTED  

$3 MILLION TO CUSD SCHOOLS



Foundations, PTAs Donated Time, Money to Support Students



SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO-Community members, businesses, and local organizations contributed more than $3 million and 490,000 volunteer hours in support of students in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) during the 2010-2011 school year.

The total raised came from a variety of sources, with the various Parent Teacher Association units contributing $2,381,650. The District's reported donations totaled $3,088,179.29.

"I want to thank the entire Capistrano Unified School District community for its generous contributions," Board President Jack R. Brick said. "Only with the support of our entire community can we ensure the continued success of our students."

The most popular items supported by donations include outdoor science camp, primary music programs, computer purchases, art programs, classroom supplies, and field trips. Other gifts helped schools provide librarians, instructional aides and classroom technology to help teachers enhance instruction.

Money wasn't the only resource contributed by District supporters. PTA members alone volunteered 490,685 hours to the schools.

"The support this District receives is a testament to the value this community places on the education of its children and indicates the level of support our schools have. These contributions have ensured a well-rounded education with visual and performing arts, athletics, extracurricular activities, and academic enrichment both during and after the school day," Superintendent Joe Farley said. "The additional resources definitely provide our students with an added advantage as they prepare for competition in a global marketplace."

The largest donor to CUSD schools was the Ladera Ranch Education Foundation, which raised $240,822.68 for schools in the Ladera Ranch community. Those funds supported programs at Chaparral Elementary School, Ladera Ranch Elementary School, Oso Grande Elementary School, Ladera Ranch Middle School, Tesoro High School, and San Juan Hills High School.

Las Palmas Elementary School in San Clemente received $241,873.24 in donations, the most received by any single school. The Leonard Foundation donated the bulk of the funds with a $225,000 grant, the largest single donation, which helped the school provide intervention programs for students who need additional academic assistance as well as enrichment programs such as music and art.

Governor Brown: 'For Years, State has Shortchanged Public Education'

Capistrano Unified started the day assuming it needed somewhere around $20 million in cuts, but Governor Brown's revised budget adds $3 billion for education ...

Schools do pick up some other responsibilities, however, and the state is going to reform standardized testing, among other things.

Here's the details:

Download Kthru12Education

Here's his release:

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today unveiled a revised state budget that reduces by nearly $3 billion the amount of taxes needed to balance the budget, spurs job creation through new tax incentives and pays off most of the $34.7 billion debt built up over the last decade.

“California’s economy is growing, but we still face a $10 billion structural deficit and a wall of debt for years to come,” said Brown. “California’s finances were plunged into turmoil by the Great Recession and a decade of short-term fixes and fiscal gimmicks. This is not the time to delay or evade. This is the time to put our finances in order.”

The revised budget also downsizes state government and protects education and public safety. Since taking office in January, Brown and the legislature have cut spending by $9 billion and have taken other steps to reduce the deficit.

Key Highlights of Governor Brown’s May Revision Budget

Reduce the amount of taxes required to balance the budget. Californians will pay $2 billion less in income taxes this year than proposed in the January budget.

Increase spending on K-12 education. For years, the state has shortchanged public education in order to balance the budget, forcing school districts to borrow in order to balance their budgets. The revised budget increases funds for public schools by $3 billion. Even with this new infusion of funds, California schools are still owed billions by the state.

Spur job creation through tax incentives. The revised budget restricts Enterprise Zone credits to create new jobs only; spurs investments in California jobs through mandatory single sales; encourages manufacturing jobs through reduced sales tax on equipment purchases; and revamps a hiring tax credit to encourage additional job creation.

Create a long-term strategy to address California’s Wall of Debt. California has accrued $35 billion in budgetary debt by borrowing from future generations. The May Revision lays out a plan to pay off at least $29 billion in looming state debt by 2015.

Cut state government. The revised budget eliminates 43 boards, commissions, task forces, offices and departments that represent an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars. As services are returned to the local level, the Departments of Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Programs will be eliminated. The revised budget also proposes to merge the Healthy Families Program into the Medi-Cal program, reducing costs and creating a single health care program for low income families

Improve debt management. More than $11 billion in cash from bond sales is sitting in department accounts, where it costs taxpayers more than $700 million a year in debt service for projects that have yet to be completed, creating an unacceptable burden on taxpayers. The revised budget proposes expediting projects, moving cash out of accounts and into projects that create jobs and improve state infrastructure as taxpayers intended.

Restore honesty to the budget process. Last year’s budget underfunded the costs of both the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Department of Mental Health by $465 million. The revised budget addresses the shortfalls in these departments and establishes controls to prevent future overspending.

Sell underutilized state properties. The revised budget proposes the sale of state-owned properties like the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Montclair Golf Course in Oakland, the Capital Area Development Authority in Sacramento and the Ramirez Canyon property in Southern California. These properties serve no state function and should be sold off to pay debt.