Educators respond to Governor and Launch “Fight for California’s Future”
By Marty Hittelman California Federation of Teachers
Governor Schwarzenegger is leaving a clear legacy – a legacy of saying one thing and doing the opposite. On Wednesday, he claims he is not going to cut education; but on Friday he proposes to reduce the Proposition 98 guarantee by $892 million in 2009-10 and $1.5 billion in 2010-11. The governor proposes to eliminate the sales tax on gasoline (which helps fund Proposition 98) and increase the fuel excise tax (which does not help fund Proposition 98). How does that protect education?
The $892 million reduction in 2009-10 is more than the maximum that California could receive over four years in the Race to the Top funding, which the governor claims is so important to California. Of course, the more than $17 billion in cuts to education over the last two years dwarfs both of these amounts. Schwarzenegger is using the budget crisis to promote some of his favorite issues, none of which would benefit the majority of people in California.
The money is clearly not the issue for the governor in the “Race to the Top” legislation.
First, he cuts $17 billion over the past two years from education, and suggests another $1.5 billion in state reductions in this budget proposal. Then he turns around and says we need the $700 million in federal money. Clearly, the money isn’t the priority. He supports Race to the Top as a way to force his value