May 15th, 2008

On May 14th, Governor Schwarzenegger released his May Revision to the 2008-'09 budget proposal. While backing away from suspension of Prop.98, which ensures minimum levels of funding for schools, the revised proposal still contains over $4 billion of cuts in school funding for 2008-'09.

The budget is far from agreement in Sacramento, with both Republican and Democratic party leaders rejecting the Governor's proposals shortly after their release.

While the exact impact on Alameda's school district is still being determined, it's likely we still face a budget cut comparable to that which was proposed in January.

Reaction from Bill Schaff, Keep Alameda Schools Excellent, Yes on H:

"Alamedans cannot afford to gamble with the Governor's revised plan to fix the budget crisis. While it appears to meet requirements under Prop 98, the revised budget is a shell game, leaving our schools the biggest loser. Without final numbers, which are several weeks away, and continued rhetoric from Sacramento, we still must anticipate a $4 million hit to Alameda schools. The only way to protect our children is to pass Measure H on June 3rd."

From Luz T. Cazares, Chief Financial Officer, Alameda Unified School District:

"The budget battle is far from over and we should not be fooled by the 'sound bites' coming from Sacramento. The Governor's latest proposals are risky and controversial at best. The only responsible thing that AUSD can do at this point is to continue with our own budget development process and the spending reductions we have put in place. We don't believe that the Governor has fixed anything with his May budget revision."

From Ardella Dailey, Superintendent, Alameda Unified School District:

"The Governor's current budget proposal is about as risky as saying that I can build the school district's budget based on winning the lottery. What are my chances of that?"

From State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell:

"To say that education is fully funded in this budget is an overstatement... Schools still must absorb the 10 percent cut made to specific programs like class size reduction, counselors, and targeted remediation programs. These cuts remain in today's proposal and have real-world impact on our students... the failure to fund a cost-of-living adjustment amounts to a serious budget cut in practical terms."

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Funding would drop by 8.8 percent... the governor would cut programs and withhold a cost-of-living increase. He is also proposing a ballot measure to end public education's guaranteed 35 percent share of state lottery revenue and freeze its future share at the dollar amount it received this year - $1.2 billion... schools and programs would not escape deep cuts. Elementary class sizes would swell, and many other programs - including class-size reduction, classes for academically gifted students, adult education and professional development for teachers - would be cut."

From the California State Assembly Budget Committee:

"$4.3 billion in cuts to education, similar to what was proposed in the January budget... Continues to not provide a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to any K-12 program... Continues the same level of across-the-board cuts for most K-12 programs that were proposed in January"