Please sign the petition to qualify the Local Control of Local Classrooms Funding Act today! As you know, the California State PTA has endorsed the initiative to lower the passage rate for parcel taxes from two-thirds to 55 percent. We need your help to collect 1 million signatures by the beginning of April to ensure that this measure qualifies for the November 2010 statewide ballot.

The California fiscal crisis is affecting every one of our schools. Passing local parcel taxes is one way to ensure a reliable source of local funds for schools, but they currently require a supermajority vote of two-thirds to pass. The Local Control of Local Classrooms Funding Act will lower the passage rate to 55 percent, making it easier for communities to invest in their local schools.

Please download and sign the petition today. We urge you to download a petition, forward it to your entire membership, and ask them to sign as well. There’s no need to wait. As per our policies; units, councils and districts need not vote to affirm a California State PTA position on a statewide measure in order to take action. Signatures may be collected at authorized PTA meetings or events held on school grounds, as long as you have secured the appropriate use of facilities permission from your school district, and provided that district funds are not otherwise used to support the signature gathering. You should not collect signatures on school grounds in any other manner. Check with your local school district office and/or your school’s principal to verify this complies with your own district’s policies. You may also collect signatures outside of the school in your community – talk to your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

It’s easy! And we can make a strong statement and strengthen our voice in supporting our local schools and speaking out for all children. Just follow these instructions.

1. Go to www.improvedschoolfunding.com.
2. Click the “sign petition” button.
3. Pick a package for the number of signatures you want to submit. You can sign a single petition or choose to collect multiple signatures.
4. Read the instructions and check the box at the bottom.
5. Click the link, “Click here to download the signature package as a pdf.”

After doing this, you will have the signature package ready to print, sign and mail to the campaign. Remember, you can sign as an individual, or you can sign and collect other signatures as well.

PTA is looking for members willing to serve as key contacts for the campaign throughout the state. If you are willing to volunteer, please forward your name, e-mail address, telephone number, city or town and PTA District number to us at legislation@capta.org. Someone from the campaign will follow up with you.

Do it TODAY! Together, we can make a difference.

If we collect the approximately 1 million signatures required, we will be the first and only organization to successfully qualify an initiative for the ballot without using paid signature gatherers. Help us to make history! This will enhance the strength of our organization and help local schools save programs from future cuts.

If you have any questions, you can visit the campaign website at www.improvedschoolfunding.com, send an e-mail to petition@improvedschoolfunding.com or call 800-915-4768. Click here to read an important message from Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction. [PDF]

Thank you for your support.

Speak Up for Children and Families

Your help is needed to get the message to state leaders

1) Call your Assembly member, State Senator, and the Governor today to tell them to protect funding for education and critical services for children and families.

Find Your Legislators
Contact the Governor

Sample message:

My name is (your name) from (name of your city). My children attend (names of your childrens’ schools), and I urge (Senator X, Assembly member X, the Governor) to protect funding for education by not suspending Proposition 98.

We must also protect critical programs for children and families such as Healthy Families, CalWORKs and Cal Grants. I strongly believe that we must invest in our children to protect their future and the future of our state.

2) Send letters to the editor at your local newspaper about what is happening in your school as a result of the devastating statewide cuts to education.

For more information on how to submit a letter to the editor and a listing of local newspapers contacts, please visit the “Letters to the Editor” tab on the Education Coalition’s “Protect Our Students” website.

Don’t forget to check your local newspaper for word-count limits, and please remember to include your name, home address and phone number!

San Mateo County newspapers include the San Mateo County Times and the San Mateo Daily Journal.

Background

State budget negotiations continue in Sacramento, and education and children’s services continue to face the threat of drastic cuts.

Recently, the Governor proposed suspending Proposition 98, the voter-approved Constitutional funding guarantee for K-12 education and community colleges. California State PTA opposes suspending the funding guarantee.

The Governor’s proposal would not only result in even deeper cuts to education in 2009-10, but would lower that funding guarantee in future years. Our students in communities throughout California are already suffering from the impact of billions of dollars in state budget cuts that have been enacted.

We also continue to strongly oppose the proposed elimination or deep cuts to vital programs for children, families and students such as CalWORKs, Healthy Families and Cal Grants. These programs serve hundreds of thousands of children and students. It is shameful that any state leader in 2009 would even consider eliminating them, especially when our state receives matching dollars from the federal government for operating some of them.

The Governor and legislators say the state budget crisis is so bad that we have no choice but to severely cut education and health and welfare services for kids.

They are wrong!

A budget is a reflection of our values. We value the future of our children and the future of California – and we cannot support any budget plan that drastically shortchanges our children or our future.

California State PTA:

• Supports a balanced approach to solving the state budget deficit, one that includes some additional revenues to prevent even deeper cuts to children’s education programs and services.
• Opposes the Governor’s proposal to suspend Proposition 98.
• Supports full funding for Healthy Families, CalWORKs and Cal Grants – essential programs that promote the health and well-being of children, students and families in California.

To read the California Budget Project’s July 2 analysis of the Governor’s budget proposals, click here.

For more information, go to www.capta.org.

PROPOSITION 1B – SUPPORT
Education funding repayment plan

PROPOSITION 1C – SUPPORT
Modernization of the Lottery

PROPOSITION 1D – OPPOSE
First 5/Children’s Services Funding

PROPOSITION 1E – SUPPORT
Mental health services funding

PROPOSITION 1F – NO POSITION
Legislative pay increases

Based on the authority contained in our statewide resolutions and position statements, the California State PTA, representing nearly 1 million volunteer members, has taken positions on five of the six measures that will appear on the May 19 statewide ballot.

Each of these measures is intended to implement components of the state budget agreement adopted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor in late February.

While we do not feel these measures adequately address the need for long-term budget reform in California, we recognize that most of the measures represent important and necessary steps to prevent deeper cuts to education and children’s programs during the state’s current economic crisis.

The California State PTA’s positions are as follows:

PROPOSITION 1A – SUPPORT
Restores education funding, temporarily increases state revenues, and establishes a “rainy day” stabilization fund.

The California State PTA supports Proposition 1A. We have been urging lawmakers to support education funding and increase revenues as part of a balanced approach to weathering the state’s current budget crisis.

Proposition 1A would pay back $9.3 billion to K-12 schools and community colleges that were recently cut from the budget, if Proposition 1B is also approved.

In addition, Proposition 1A would ensure that temporary tax revenues amounting to an estimated $16 billion between 2010-11 and 2012-13 will not be cut short during this time when they are most needed to prevent deeper cuts to critical services.

Proposition 1A further provides the Governor with some limited authority to make midyear budget cuts, and it establishes a “rainy day” fund aimed at smoothing out state spending over time. Revenues generally available to be spent each year would be based on revenue trends from the previous 10 years. This measure would not, however, cap the total level of spending that could be authorized in any given year if alternative revenues were approved by the Legislature and Governor.

PROPOSITION 1B – SUPPORT
Education funding repayment plan

The California State PTA supports Proposition 1B. We believe adequate funding must be provided for public education so that every student can receive a quality education. Budget cuts to education threaten an entire generation of children – and that seriously threatens California’s economic future.

Proposition 1B would require the state to make annual supplemental payments totaling $9.3 billion to schools and community colleges to make up for recent budget cuts. Funding for this measure is contingent on the passage of Proposition 1A.

Historically, there has been a budget mechanism within Proposition 98 called the “maintenance factor” that created a future repayment obligation when funding for education was cut. This year, the state’s economic crisis created a circumstance that led some policymakers to assert that the requirement to restore these cuts to education in future years would not apply.

Proposition 1B asks voters to guarantee that these cuts to education in these difficult times will be restored in the near future when the budget stabilizes. These payments would replace any payments that the state would otherwise be required to make under current law for maintenance factor obligations in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

If both Propositions 1A and 1B pass, payments would begin in 2011-12 and extend for five or six years. Payments would be included in the Proposition 98 minimum funding base.

PROPOSITION 1C – SUPPORT
Modernization of the Lottery

The California State PTA supports Proposition 1C because it generates additional revenues to mitigate the current budget deficit. In addition, it will permanently disconnect school funding from the lottery, thereby dispelling common misperceptions that schools receive a large share of funding from the lottery.

Proposition 1C authorizes the selling of bonds from the State Lottery, enabling the state to borrow $5 billion in the current fiscal year and $5 billion next year to help pay down the budget deficit California now faces.

Currently, profits from the lottery (after prizes and expenses are paid) are distributed to school districts for purchase of instructional materials. Under this measure, public schools would no longer receive any funding directly from the lottery. Instead, the state General Fund would pick up the current share of lottery funds allocated to schools.

Funding for schools through the lottery for 2007-2008 was approximately $1.1 billion. Under Proposition 1C, that amount would be allocated to schools from the General Fund in future years.

PROPOSITION 1D – OPPOSE
First 5/Children’s Services Funding

The California State PTA opposes Proposition 1D because it would negatively impact key children’s services that we support – programs such as early childhood education, health care access, education for new parents, and support for families in crisis. While we understand the need for options that help mitigate the state’s current budget deficit, Proposition 1D takes funds away from important First 5 programs for a total of five years. It also makes changes to how First 5 funding may be spent, changes that are unrelated to addressing the state’s current budget crisis.

Proposition 1D would allow for the redirection of some Proposition 10 funds for a five-year period.

Proposition 10, enacted by voters in 1998, created the California Children and Families (First 5) Program to expand early development programs for children up to age 5. The California State PTA strongly supported Proposition 10.

Under Proposition 1D, up to $608 million in 2009-10 and $268 million annually between 2010-11 through 2013-14 would be taken from early childhood development programs established by Proposition 10 and made available to the state General Fund, with the intent to support other health and human services programs.

PROPOSITION 1E – SUPPORT
Mental health services funding

Proposition 1E would allow for the redirection of some Proposition 63 funds for a two-year period.

Proposition 63, enacted by voters in 2004, provides state funding for new and expanded mental health programs through a personal income surcharge of 1 percent on taxpayers’ income above $1 million.

The Department of Finance estimates that Proposition 63 will generate a total of $887 million in 2009-10. Proposition 1E would redirect $226.7 million in 2009-10 and a similar amount in 2010-11 from Proposition 63. The redirected funds would be used to pay for “The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program” (EPSDT), therefore freeing up General Fund monies for other purposes. EPSDT is a federally mandated program that must be funded, with or without this measure.

California State PTA strongly supported Proposition 63, and we continue to advocate for adequate mental health services for children, youth and families, as we know these services are critically important in our communities. However, we support Proposition 1E because we also understand the need for options that help mitigate the state’s current budget deficit. In this case, the redirection of Proposition funds from Proposition 63 is limited to only two years. In addition, the author of Proposition 63, Sen. Darrell Steinberg, has strongly endorsed this measure as a viable short-term option.

PROPOSITION 1F – NO POSITION
Legislative pay increases

Proposition 1F would prohibit legislators and the Governor from receiving pay increases in years when the state budget is running a deficit.

California State PTA’s resolutions and positions do not provide sufficient authority for a position to be taken on this measure.

USEFUL LINKS
California Secretary of State Official Voter Guide Information: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E
Legislative Analyst’s Office analyses of ballot propositions: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F
League of Women Voters Easy Voter Guide: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese

AB 167 – Adams
* High school graduation: local requirements: foster children.
Support—Parent Involvement

AB 239 – Brownley
* Teacher credentialing.
Approve—Education

AB 351 – Salas
* Physical education.
Support if Amended—Education

AB 429 – Brownley
* The Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999: Advisory Committee.
Support—Education

AB 476 – Torlakson
* The Standardized Testing and Reporting Program.
Support—Education

AB 482 – Mendoza
* Instructional materials: English learners.
Approve—Education

AB 508 – Torlakson
* Vehicles: driver education: provisional licenses.
Support—Community Concerns

AB 533 – Hayashi
* Training for high school coaches.
Support—Health

AB 552 – Furutani
* California Community Colleges: career technical and vocational education: financing.
Approve—Education

AB 554 – Furutani
* Graduation requirements.
Watch—Education

AB 572 – Brownley
* Charter schools: governing boards.
Support—Education

AB 661 – Torlakson
* Special education: behavioral intervention plans: mandate claim: funding.
Support—Education

AB 747 – Emmerson
* School facilities: recycling programs.
Watch—Community Concerns

AB 826 – Buchanan
* Special education: local plan areas: funding.
Support—Education

AB 851 – Brownley
* Education finance.
Support—Education

AB 1020 – Emmerson
* Public swimming pools: anti-entrapment devices and systems.
Approve—Community Concerns

AB 1048 – Torrico
* Child protection: safe surrender.
Support—Community Concerns

AB 1127 – Solorio
* School facilities: automatic fire sprinkler system.
Watch—Education

AB 1220 – Huffman
* Vehicles: supervised driving: young drivers.
Support—Community Concerns

ACA 18 – Evans
* State budget.
Watch—Miscellaneous

SB 114 – Liu
* Medi-Cal: independent foster care adolescents.
Support—Parent Involvement
SB 124 – Oropeza
* Air pollution: schoolbus idling and idling at schools.
Support—Health

SB 249 – Cox
* Vaccinations: meningitis.
Support—Health

SB 315 – Liu
* Pupil safety: walking schoolbus.
Wat ch—Community Concerns

SB 416 – Florez
* Antibiotics.
Watch—Health

SB 497 – Correa
* School recycling programs.
Support—Community Concerns

SB 800 – Hancock
* Pupil assessment.
Support—Education

SCA 5 – Hancock
* State budget.
Watch—Miscellaneous

SCA 9 – Ducheny
* Finance: state budget: taxes.
Watch—Miscellaneous

SCA 15 – Calderon
* State budget.
Watch—Miscellaneous

SUPPORT: great importance, beneficial to welfare of children and youth; PTA actively works for passage.
SUPPORT IF AMENDED: if amended to address PTA concerns or recommenda-tions, PTA will work to secure passage.
APPROVE: not a high priority or does not need PTA support.
SEEK AMENDMENTS: bill incomplete or author is working on amendments; PTA works with author/allied organiza-tions to change or shape the bill; pending bill changes position may change +/ -
OPPOSE: harmful to welfare of children and youth; PTA actively works to defeat.
OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED: Some text conflicts with PTA positions; PTA works with author for change.
WATCH: may be important, but PTA remains neutral; follows progress.

California State PTA released a statement on the emerging details of the plan earlier today.

The latest plan attempts to bring the state budget into balance over the next 17 months through:

• $15.8 billion in total cuts, with more than half of those cuts to education
• $14.3 billion in tax increases
• $10.9 billion in borrowing
• A spending cap on future budgets

As reported, the plan would have to go before voters as part of a package of several initiatives to approve elements such as borrowing future earnings from the state lottery, approving the spending cap, and taking funds from Proposition 10 (tobacco tax for early childhood programs) and Proposition 63 (upper income tax for mental-health programs).

We continue to monitor the status of negotiations in the Capitol closely, and we will provide more information soon about the details of the plan and actions you can take.

For more information about the potential impact of budget cuts to schools on a county-by-county basis, see the latest report issued by the California Budget Project.

Legislative Alerts are produced by the California State PTA. If you wish to receive these alerts, subscribe to the California State PTA mailing list.

Our responsibility to children cannot be cut in bad economic times

Action Needed

Please call or email your state assembly member, state senator and the governor right away and deliver the following messages:

• We must find a balanced approach to the budget crisis that includes sufficient new revenues to protect children and the future of California.
• Support continued funding for programs and services that help ensure that all children can succeed, such as smaller class sizes, arts and physical education, science, counselors, nurses, librarians, and health and social services for children.
• We cannot build a world class public education system by going backwards in funding for education and other children’s services.

Find your legislator’s contact info here and contact the governor here.

Background

With a worsening economy, state legislators and the Governor are faced with difficult decisions to adopt a balanced state budget. The Governor’s 2009-2010 budget proposal includes deep cuts to education, health and human services as well as tax increases and borrowing.

In releasing the proposed budget last week, the Governor stated:

“California, like the rest of the nation is in the midst of a severe economic downturn. The combined effect of the state’s continuing structural budget deficit and the loss of revenues resulting from the economic downturn results in a budget gap of $41.6 billion, just under half of the revenues projected for 2009-10. This is the most challenging budget in the state’s history. It demands quick action and calls for every type of solution possible, including major spending cuts, revenue increases, borrowing and cash management strategies.”

California State PTA issued a press release yesterday in response to the latest budget proposal. In the release, Pam Brady, President, states:

“Don’t think for a minute that we don’t understand the magnitude of the current financial crisis. Families throughout California are living each day with the realities of the economic downturn. But families also understand that we have a responsibility to children and their future which cannot be compromised in bad economic times.

“We believe the smartest economic stimulus plan for California right now is to invest in the future by investing in the education, health and welfare of our state’s children.”

The Governor’s latest budget proposal would cut an additional $6 billion to public schools over the next 18 months.  When combined with cuts already made to our schools in the current year and proposed accounting maneuvers to delay other payments owed to schools, the total cuts are nearly $11 billion — not including other cuts to vital children’s services.

A recent national study revealed that California recently slipped from 46th to 47th in the nation in terms of per-student funding — funding which goes to hire and train teachers, provide instructional programs and materials, ensure smaller class sizes, and provide all other aspects of a quality education to every student.

Next Steps

The Board of Managers of the California State PTA has voted to launch an aggressive campaign to protect children. In the coming weeks we will be providing additional information, resources and advice to help you communicate a strong message for a greater investment in children and against deeper budget cuts.

Budget Details on the Web

Press release issued by PTA in response to the state budget

Education Coalition Response to the Governor’s State of the State: California’s Schools Face State of Emergency

California Budget Project Analysis

Schwarzenegger seeks education cuts

Governor Holds Press Conference to Discuss State Budget

Legislative Analyst’s Office 2009-10 Budget Analysis Series: Overview of the Governor’s Budget

Governor’s Budget 2009-2010

To subscribe to PTA Legislative Alerts and other publications, subscribe to the California State PTA mailing list.

As a new legislative session begins this week, we are increasing our efforts to demand that our legislators act responsibly to reach a solution that does not make further devastating cuts to education and children’s programs.

The stakes could not be higher.

Legislators and the governor must work to address the state’s budget shortfall, which is projected to grow to $27 billion or more over the next 19 months.
Legislative Analyst’s Report

Proposed cuts would have a catastrophic effect

California’s total school funding could be cut by $8 billion in 2008-09 if lawmakers don’t vote for new revenues. For kindergarten through high school schools alone this would mean a cut of $7.2 billion.

These cuts are equivalent to:

• Shutting down every school across the state for 25 days,
• Increasing class sizes statewide by more than 50 percent,
• Reducing per-student spending by almost $1,200,
• Laying off 160,000 classroom teachers or 180,000 bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, maintenance workers, and other education support professionals,
• Cutting more than $31,500 per classroom,
• Cutting $12.4 million per school district (assuming 10,000 students in the school) or eliminating all music, art and career technical education

Education Coalition Press Briefing

Our state already has some of the most overcrowded classrooms and the greatest shortages of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff in the nation. Even before this year’s most recent, devastating budget cuts, California already ranked 46th out of 50 states in per pupil funding, according to Education Week.

And many of these cuts would come in the middle of the school year when local school budgets have already been set.

Upcoming Activities

PTA members across the state must get ready to raise your voices again! Thanks to your efforts, we were able to raise awareness about the impact of devastating cuts, and prevent even more harmful funding reductions last year. But the worsening budget situation will require even more effort this coming year. It’s very tough, given the state’s economic condition, but it would be shortsighted and even more harmful for legislators to undermine future generations by failing to enact responsible revenue increases.

Next week, PTA leaders will participate with Education Coalition partners in a series of media events in cities throughout the state. Your volunteer advocates in Sacramento will also be meeting with legislators. In the coming weeks, we will continue emailing you alerts asking you to take specific actions such as contacting your local legislators or participating in local events.

Key Points to Communicate

It’s important that we speak with a unified voice on behalf of all children. Some of the key points to communicate:

• Further cuts will have catastrophic consequences for California’s schools, and students.
• The time to raise revenues and invest in California’s future is now.
• It is beyond reckless to make billions more in cuts to schools in the middle of the school year. We shouldn’t turn back the clock on California’s students because of a budget mess they didn’t create.
• Our schools need stable, on-going revenues to ensure that students have the resources they need to succeed.
• Providing flexibility without adequate funding raises false hope that schools can do more with even fewer resources, while the real crisis facing our students is potentially billions more in cuts to classrooms.
• Our elected leaders need to be reminded of what hard-working Californians already know: devastating cuts to public education are undermining our state’s future. That’s why parents, teachers and other educators across California are united against further mid-year budget cuts.
• California already spends $1,900 less per student than the national average. The “Getting Down to Facts” studies from Stanford University show that California seriously underfunds its public schools and would need to spend 40 percent more to ensure that all students meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. The studies also show that other states like New York spend 75 percent more on students than California.
• California business leaders say the best way to improve our economy is to make sure we have a well-educated work force. The governor and lawmakers must make California’s students a top priority. Refusing to support solutions to raise revenues for schools shortchanges our students and California’s future.

Update on Recent Events and Activities in Sacramento.

New legislators sworn in

Earlier this week the State Senate and Assembly swore in members for the 2009-10 legislative session. There are 12 new senators – all of whom previously served in the Assembly. Of the 31 new Assembly members, three previously served in the Senate and 25 have no previous legislative experience.

The senate also has a new leader: Darrel Steinberg (D-Sacramento) officially became Senate President Pro Tempore. He now joins Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill (R–Fresno), Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D–Los Angeles), and Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines (R-Clovis) among the legislative leaders.

Governor calls for another special session

Soon after the swearing in, Governor Schwarzenegger called for a new special session of the legislature to address the budget. In a press conference, the Governor told legislators to get out of their “ideological sandboxes” and make decisions based on the “common good.”

During the special session called in November, legislators were unable to reach a solution. On November 25, proposals to raise $8.1 billion in new revenues and enact $8.1 billion in cuts failed to pass in the legislature. More than $4 billion in additional cuts to education were proposed, but did not become law because revenue increase proposals failed.

Governor’s Budget Special Session

To receive this and other Legislation Information Alerts from the California State PTA, please send your name and e-mail address to Leginfo@capta.org.