Governor Discusses Education Report Release, Calls For Budget Reform To Stabilize Education Funding
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Today, Governor
Schwarzenegger joined members of his Committee on Education Excellence in
Santa Monica at the Milken Family Foundation as the Committee releases their
comprehensive report, offering new ideas to improve California's public school
system. For more than two years, this privately funded, nonpartisan group of
experts from the K-12 education, research, policy-making, and business sectors
has held meetings and spoken with numerous stakeholders from California and throughout
the nation to learn from their ideas and experience. The Governor also
discussed the need to move forward with education reform despite a slowing
economy.
For more information on the
Governor's commitment to improving student achievement visit: www.gov.ca.gov/issue/education.
The Governor supports
the goals of the Committee report and will consider its recommendations as part
of future education reform. Given the state's fiscal situation, some education
reforms cannot currently be pursued. But education reform is about more than
just money and the current fiscal challenges also present an opportunity for the
state to pursue important structural reforms.
- A number of the
report's recommendations can be implemented with no budgetary
impact. Although it will take more resources over
time to achieve all of the changes sought in this report, there are many
recommendations that require little or no funding.
- Additionally, there are many reforms that can save the state money and improve efficiency.
- The Governor will take these recommendations and work with the Committee to build consensus around the state on key education reforms. In the coming months, the Governor will be examining these recommendations and the Secretary of Education will be working with Committee members to hold meetings and town halls across the state to build consensus for reform.
The Governor is taking steps right now to improve student achievement. California has 97 school districts that have persistently failed to meet federal student achievement standards. By law, California's State Board of Education is required to intervene to improve student achievement.
- To support these
underachieving school districts, the Governor proposed a plan to assist them
based on their needs.
- Yesterday, the State Board of Education voted to approve the interventions recommended by the Governor to improve these 97 districts.
- Last month, the Governor joined Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to announce their specific district by district intervention recommendations.
- In January, the Governor introduced this plan as part of his State of the State Speech.
- California has $45 million in federal funds available to turn these school districts around and the Governor will be working very closely with the Legislature to ensure these funds are allocated.
The best protection against future cuts to education is budget reform. For years, a broken budget system has taken California's children on a roller coaster ride of increased funding when revenues are flush and cuts when revenues slow down. This feast-or-famine cycle hurts our children, our schools and our state.
- The Governor is proposing
a long-term solution to end the volatility and restore some
stability to how the state budgets. The
Governor understands the devastating impact of reducing education funding. That
is why he is proposing that the state
eliminate the need for drastic cuts by:
- Creating a real budget reserve-a rainy-day fund established in good years for use during years like this one.
- Providing a long-term, reliable and predictable funding stream to California's schools.
