Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533049
O U R U N I O N A P P L A U D E D historic investments in public education while remaining cautious about the lack of full funding guaranteed by Proposition 98, in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom's initial 2025–26 state budget pro- posal in Januar y. "We are excited to see so many transformative education initiatives supported by CTA members come to fruition in this state budget, including investments in transitional kinder- garten, school nutrition and professional development," CTA President David Goldberg said. "However, we are concerned that the proposed budget does not allocate the full funding guaranteed by Prop. 98." Goldberg said that despite a promising economic outlook, some school districts have already started issuing layoff notices to educators. "We will work to ensure there are no layoffs to educators and school employees this year, especially as we face a budget with higher than anticipated revenues for our state," Goldberg said. "Layoffs are devastating and chaotic for educators, students and communities. In this moment, more than ever, our schools must continue to be safe and stable centers for our students and communities." Highlights of the budget proposal include: Prop. 98: The Prop. 98 minimum funding levels for public schools and community colleges are projected to be $119.2 billion in 2024–25 and $118.9 billion in 2025–26. These revised Prop. 98 levels result in an increase of $7.5 billion over a three-year period. The governor proposes $117.6 bil- lion, instead of $119.2 billion in 2024–25, $1.6 billion below the calculated Prop. 98 level, with the stated intent to "mitigate the risk of potentially appropriating more resources to the Guarantee than are ultimately available in the final calcula- tion for 2024–25." Potential adjustments will be evaluated in the May Revision. "In the coming months, our union will carefully monitor the required funding levels for schools and community colleges to ensure full funding is provided to our students in a timely manner, without unnecessary delay," said Goldberg. Per Pupil Spending for TK–12 Education: Per-pupil funding totals $18,918 in Prop. 98 funding ($564 above the 2024 Budget Act) and $24,764 per pupil when accounting for all funding sources ($138 above the This year's proposed budget includes funding increases and a 2.43% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to the Local Control Funding Formula. Governor Proposes Historic Investment in Public Schools Our union commits to defending guaranteed public education funding By Julian Peeples 43 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 Advocacy