JUNE 05, 2014Stage set for budget fight over more K-12 money
(Calif.) It’s not yet official, but school districts could be the beneficiaries of several billion more than what was proposed in Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised 2014-15 budget, released last month.
Still, a legislative conference committee, meeting for the first time Wednesday to reconcile spending differences between the two houses made few decisions on the K-12 proposals before them.
There does, however, appear to be growing consensus among Legislative leaders that more money should be used to support the new Local Control Funding Formula as well as Common Core implementation – how much remains in question.
Both houses also appear to be locked in on a far rosier revenue forecast than the one used by the Brown administration in preparing the revised May budget.
The Senate proposes adding $330 million in Prop. 98 funds to the administration’s plan to provide $4.5 billion for the Local Control Funding Formula. But the Senate would provide only $550,000 in one-time support for continued Common Core Implementation while the Assembly proposes $1.25 million.
Even if negotiations with the governor don’t produce meaningful gains for schools, lawmakers said next year will be a good one for schools.
“The good news is, that regardless of the scenario – whether we go with the administration’s revenue amounts or LAO’s – that our Prop. 98 funding levels will be from $4 billion to $6 billion more in this upcoming budget year than they were in the current budget year, and that is great news for our education system, for our kids and for the staff and teachers,” said Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, co-chair of the conference committee.
“I think it’s more than fair to say that both houses have been very clear in prioritizing the Stage set for budget fight over more K-12 money :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: