[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Marty Hittelman
President
California Federation of Teachers

The governor’s proposed budget for schools and other vital public services will impede efforts to provide high-quality education. Our schools rank dead last in the nation for the number of teachers per student, as well as in the number of librarians, counselors and critical support staff, while having some of the largest class sizes in the nation. California is 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending.

The governor’s budget proposal keeps our schools and students at the bottom of those rankings, despite recent studies that show California needs to spend 40 percent more to ensure that all students meet the state’s rigorous standards.

The governor’s budget revision tries to protect education, but lacks the funding to do it. Continuing to balance this budget with a cuts-only approach hurts children, schools and the economic future of California. The final budget agreement must be built squarely on new progressive tax revenues to protect education funding.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Parents and educators have voiced their strong opposition to all cuts to schools and students. And while the Governor’s revised budget proposal avoids suspending Proposition 98, the state’s minimum school funding law, it still cuts billions of dollars from public education. It makes cuts to the many vital programs that help student achievement, like class size reduction. It also fails to include a cost-of-living adjustment for schools, despite the steadily increasing operating costs for local districts. With this budget, schools and students are once again being asked to “do more with less.”
 
With more than 20,000 layoff notices already sent to teachers, custodians, school bus drivers, principals and other school employees around the state, California's schools and students have paid a steep price for proposed budget cuts. Many teachers have already been recruited to leave the state. In addition, many school districts have already been forced to cut music, arts and career technical education programs.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

No white smoke yet from the Capitol on a budget agreement, and it would probably violate clean air rules anyway.

There’s no official word, other than the budget vote today has been postponed following a meeting last night that the Speaker of the Assembly described as “productive,” and that legislative leaders are expected to meet throughout the day with staff on the budget.

But hanging out in the hallways, there are a few bits of information to chew upon. Reporters are on a semi stakeout in the Rotunda near the Speaker’s office.

The following is a transcript of the Speaker's hallway interview this morning with KCRA-TV's Kevin Riggs and Araceli Martinez of La Opinion.

Q: The fact that there’s been a cancellation of this budget vote today, am I to interpret that to mean there’s some serious progress being made?