February 8, 2006

 

Sacramento - The Education Coalition today called on Governor Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to fully fund education and keep the promise made to public schools and students by allocating the money owed to schools under state law.

 

Barbara E. Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association said, "California schools and students need, and voters expect, the Governor to keep his promise to repay the money borrowed from Proposition 98.  That money is desperately needed to restore class size reduction programs, to buy up-to-date textbooks, and to attract and retain high quality teachers and other educators." 

 

According to a 2006 Education Week report "Quality Counts" California ranks 43rd in the nation in per pupil spending. California's schools also continue to have some of the largest class sizes and the greatest shortages of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff.

 

"Public schools need and deserve adequate funding. Together we must establish an investment strategy that not only upholds the promise to education, but also ensures the resources we provide for our students meet the high expectations we have for them in our standards-based educational system," added Henry Bietz, president of the Association of California School Administrators.

 

"The Governor must invest in public education and keep his promise to California's six million students," Brenda Davis, president of the California State PTA explained.

 

In addition to calling on the Governor to keep his promise, the Coalition also announced its strong opposition to the Governor's proposal to fund Proposition 49 with Proposition 98 funds without increasing the guarantee as required by law. "This flies in the face of the commitment the Governor made to voters and the education community in the 2002." explained Mary Bergan, president of the California Federation of Teachers.

"As school business officials we have had to make cuts to core classroom programs over the past few years in response to the state budget situation. We urge the Governor to help us restore the important programs first - before going forward with the new Proposition 49 program." Pearl Iizuka, president of the California Association of School Business Officials.

 

"This year we will say goodbye to the graduates from the class of 2006. Every year that we delay adequately funding our schools is a year we will never be able to retrieve," said Rob Feckner, president of the California School Employees Association. "We need a commitment from the Governor to fulfill the promise for this generation of students, and not on the backs of future generations."

 

Luan B. Rivera, president of the California School Boards Association, concluded, "Restoring the funding that has been cut from our schools and adequately funding all of our classrooms can only be achieved through commitment and leadership. We call upon the Governor to demonstrate such leadership, keep the promise he made to schools, and lead our state in the development of an education funding plan that invests in California's greatest resource: our students."