The CFT released the following statement on the Governor’s May Revision of the Budget
The members of CFT, after working hard to pass Proposition 30, are pleased that the governor is focused on strengthening public education funding with the increased tax revenues. But educators know that California remains a long way from adequate funding for the quality of education and services that our students and their families need and deserve.
The members of CFT, after working hard to pass Proposition 30, are pleased that the governor is focused on strengthening public education funding with the increased tax revenues. But educators know that California remains a long way from adequate funding for the quality of education and services that our students and their families need and deserve.
The governor’s continued emphasis on a new K-12 funding formula, which would direct resources to helping the most needy students, is a goal we will help achieve, although we believe that every school should receive the statutory COLA before the new funding formula is used.
By providing a billion dollars to implement the Common Core, the governor is creating resources to match requirements, especially in the necessary areas of professional development and instructional materials.
It is crucial for students and their families to be able to access higher education without taking on a mountain of debt, and the governor helps by committing funding in exchange for a freeze in tuition in CSU and UC for the next several years.
Adult education has taken a disproportionate share of program reductions and in some cases outright elimination around the state. The governor is doing the right thing in reshaping the plan for adult education into a two-year timeline. This will provide some breathing room to sort out local and regional differences in the way adult education is handled, and to find the solutions that meet local needs and resources best.
Our community college faculty and staff are pleased with the beginning of restoration of funding for important student services decimated over the past few years, but there should be a greater emphasis on restoring class sections for the more than two million students in the system instead of buying down deferrals so quickly.
The Governor has improved education funding in his May Revise. However, California continues to suffer from inadequate revenues if we are to achieve our goals of full access and quality public education for all. Before Election Day last year, Proposition 30 was understood as a necessary first step toward adequate funding for education and vital services, but certainly not a complete solution. It is time for the governor and Legislature to resume the quest for progressive revenue sources to fund California’s future.