Posted on 05/07/2005 4:50:56 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not expected to propose any increase in school funding when he releases his updated 2005-2006 budget plan later this week - despite strong political temptations to do otherwise.
Schwarzenegger, who has taken a pounding for months from the state's powerful education lobby over his spending choices, is likely to put any extra money into highway projects and debt reduction, according to lawmakers and administration officials.
Education activists, who can take some credit for the governor's recent drop in the polls, said Schwarzenegger is making a big mistake by not putting more money into schools.
"I think it's a huge mistake," Roger Salazar, Democratic consultant and spokesman for a coalition of education groups that includes the California Teachers Association, California State PTA and the California Association of School Business Officials.
"I think this is a big reason for his popularity slide," Salazar said. "People don't like how he's handling education funding."
Unlike last year when Schwarzenegger deftly cut an early deal with schools, this year's budget debate will likely be dominated by the school funding question.
Schwarzenegger proposed a $111.7 billion spending plan in January that relied on more than $4 billion in borrowing to close a shortfall estimated at $8.6 billion.
Since then, the budget picture has brightened some due to an improving California economy and unanticipated income from a tax amnesty program.
This Friday, the governor is schedule to release his updated budget plan that is anticipated to include about $2 billion in additional revenue, according to estimates from the Legislative Analyst.
The administration has not confirmed the dollar figure nor released details of his revised budget. But Margita Thompson, the governor's spokeswoman, said last week that transportation and debt reduction remained Schwarzenegger's top priorities if there is extra money.
Republican leaders defended the governor's choices given the limited amounts of money to go around.
"Education will be getting an augmentation of almost $3 billion next year," said Assemblyman Rick Keene, R-Chico, vice chair of the budget committee. Keene pointed out that Schwarzenegger's January plan proposed transferring $1.6 billion from transportation programs to help pay for other services.
"All the money is being taken from transportation," Keene said. "I think it's important that we look at balancing all the state's interests."
From a political perspective, however, putting more money into schools would seem attractive.
Educators claim the governor agreed last year to fully meet the state's obligation in 2005-2006 to schools under Proposition 98, a voter approved funding guarantee.
But when the governor's January budget was released, school officials said they were shorted about $2 billion - about the same amount money the governor has to plug holes above January estimates.
Schwarzenegger has said that no promise was broken, pointing to the year-to-year increase he's proposed for schools.
Since then, however, school and unions have carried on a relentless campaign against both the governor's budget and the ballot measures he wants to put before voters in a special election this fall. The result has been a double digit drop in public approval polls for Schwarzenegger.
Some have suggested that if Schwarzenegger were to put the $2 billion back into the schools budget, he would take some steam out of the opposition group going into the fall campaign.
Leaders of the Legislature's Democratic majority are watching developments with interest.
"The priorities of Assembly Democrats have been the same," said Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. "Education, transportation and seniors. We want a balanced budget with no borrowing against the future. To the extent that the governor moves toward those goals, that's good.
"To the extent that there's still a gap after Friday, that's what we will be looking to close through negotiations this summer," he explained.
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On the Net
Gov.'s home page: http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov-homepage.jsp
That's good. Money doesn't teach kids, teachers are suppose to. Like every other union job, let's hope their own greed destroys them.
The schools should be sold to private companies. The public educational system in California has and is a total failure, with a few exceptions.
Like many stories I have seen recently there is no mention of the Terminator's actual poll numbers, just that they have dipped (in this story they say double-digit) which just strikes me as odd. I'll look around but I'm presuming that when they ask about his numbers they also ask about leading dem hopefuls/prospects and I suspect the results still show the Terminator with a strong hand.
You have to wonder what "people" that would be.
Wish WA state could say the same.
I applaud Arnold's emphasis upon these priorities IF that's where the money actually goes (we'll see). Highways are falling apart and will cost more to repair without more maintenance funding.
Money is not the issue in CA's schools. By law, K-12 and the University system must get 49% of the state's budget. The schools also receive 1/3 of the lottery, a developer fee for every residential home built in the state that can be as high as $2.50 per square foot, money from local bond issues the sheeple keep passing, plus lots of cash from the Feds for various grants and other programs.
They have lots of money but something is very wrong when a CA native just out of high school knows nothing about the gold rush or the gold country in Ca, a twenty something at the local Starbucks spells my name Mikhull instead of Michael or even Mike, and 18, 19, and 20 somethings have to count on their fingers or ask me what the count is when playing Blackjack in the casino where I work as a dealer.
Didn't hear all this moaning and groaning when CA agreed some billion or 2 billion or was it more? for stem cell research.
Charter schools are the way to go.
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