Education, the California Budget, and Selling Us a Bridge to Nowhere

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Duane E. Campbell
Professor of Education
California State University Sacramento

The California budget is a mess- at least a $15 billion deficit.

About half of California’s schools are in a mess: California’s students rank 48th out of the states in 4th grade reading on the NAEP, 47th in math, and 43rd in science. California ranks 48th in 8th grade reading on the NAEP, 45th in math, and 42nd in science.

That is, our schools are in crisis, particularly our schools serving Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students. And, after 20 years of “school reform,” there has been no real progress.

So what is proposed in the Governor’s budget? Well first he proposes to cut $4.1 billion from the schools. This will increase class size, eliminate counselors and lead to teacher layoffs. The Governor would also cut health care to some seniors, the disabled, and children.

While cutting and slashing, the Governor also proposes spending at least 9 million additional dollars for a new video based test for new teachers (TPA or PACT). This new test has no relationship to the crisis in school achievement of California’s failing schools. It does, however, provide career advancement for test writers and professors at Stanford and elsewhere, provide them with coffee, donuts and catered food while they meet, and keep them from having to work with real teachers in real classrooms to deal with the problems students in real schools.

It is a bridge to nowhere. A boondoggle. The state might as well fund research on developing rain forests in the Iowa prairie. And, unless the California Assembly Budget Committee acts, it is a boondoggle that you and I will pay for.

It is a bridge to create a test that is not needed and will not improve teaching nor learning, but a few bureaucrats and three college professors want it. So, while we don’t have money for class size reduction, summer school, and safe schools, we have money for this. Excuse me- I thought that we had a budget crisis and a school crisis, but I haven’t heard of a test crisis.