Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/32596
Hundreds of chapter leaders lobby for school funding On May 18, several hun- dred leaders of local CTA chapters were hard at work in the state Capitol. They came to Sacramento to persuade law- makers to provide the two- thirds vote required to pass the governor’s tax extension proposal, which would raise billions of additional dollars for public education. The CTA representatives visited the offices of both Dem- ocratic and Republic an lawmakers seeking to firm up support for the tax extensions, which would preserve more than $10 billion for education and other vital services. The CTA members told sto- ries of how budget cuts of more than $20 billion have decimated their local schools, ballooned class sizes, and eliminated counselors, nurses, and vital services to their students. Often, the educators shared with lawmakers physical repre- sentations of the harm being done to their students. Chapter leaders from Mon- terey brought to the office of one of their lawmakers, Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo), a poster created by parents that featured photos of their children. The poster’s headline drove home the mes- sage: “Cuts Hurt Monterey Pen- insula Students.” The parents had asked the chapter members to use the poster to help con- vince lawmakers of the dire need for more funding for public schools. While lawmakers can pass a budget on a simple majority vote, state law requires a two- thirds supermajority to enact or extend revenues. During the Presidents Lob- by Day and the State of Emer- gency mobilization in the Capitol, CTA members put a high priority on helping to round up the four Republican votes — two in the Assembly and two in the state Senate — that would provide the two- thirds supermajority. They also sought to counter an element of the GOP’s own budget proposal that would il- legally suspend the state’s Qual- ity Education Investment Act (QEIA) and pare another $500 million from public education. The CTA chapter presi- dents committed to working with their members, parents, and community members to visit their lawmakers in their home area offices and press them to provide the financial support that public schools desperately need. LAO: Proposal is sound, but election poses uncertainty The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) con- cluded that Gov. Brown’s May Revision represents a “serious proposal” that would address the state’s ongoing fiscal prob- lems. The appraisal of the spending plan came in “The 2011-12 Budget: Overview of the May Revision,” which was released on the LAO website (lao.ca.gov). Legislative Analyst Mac Tay- lor told reporters during a Cap- itol news conference that his greatest concern about Gov. Brown’s budget revision is the uncertainty that would come with the Legislature and the governor sending the tax exten- sion proposals to the voters for their approval. Taylor said the uncertainty would have a significant impact on the state’s ability to issue Revenue Anticipation Notes or RANs, instruments sold to in- vestors to raise cash temporarily until state revenues are collect- ed. Taylor said the state could have to sell about $10 billion in RANs this coming year. Taylor pointed out that schools and other entities would face problems as they try to budget for the coming year without knowing whether some of the proposed funding will disappear before the year is out. Taylor said the most certain- ty would come if the governor and lawmakers approved the taxes themselves, but if an elec- tion is in the offing, he would recommend that it be held late in the 2011-12 fiscal year. He would also propose that the Legislature and governor adopt new revenues, some or all of the ones proposed or others, to take effect for the entire year prior to the public vote. Citing the impact of eco- nomic uncertainty on schools and other public services, CTA representatives have been urg- ing the governor and the Legislature to approve the tax above: Backed by a team of local leaders including CTA Board member Don Dawson, Jill Low (at right) presents a poster to Gabrielle Jackson, a staffer for state Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo). Low told Jackson that parents had brought Monterey teachers the poster, which shows photos of their children who are being harmed by cutbacks in their schools. The parents urged the teachers to use the poster to help secure more fiscal support for public education. extensions themselves, with- out putting a referendum on the ballot. Taylor commended the gov- ernor for tackling the state’s debt. He said the governor is us- ing the bulk of the additional funding for schools — about $2 billion of the $3 billion increase to schools — to cover deferrals. Taylor said he was glad that the state had some good news in the form of $6.1 billion in unan- ticipated revenues. However, he cautioned that forecasters were disagreeing about the reasons for the increase and how much new revenue the state would re- ceive in the months and years ahead. LEN FELDMAN MAY 2011 | www.cta.org 35