WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. June 15, 2011 - California lawmakers voted today to continue balancing the state's budget with one-time fixes and other gimmicks. While the California School Boards Association appreciates the effort to maintain school funding at the level proposed by Governor Brown, it is disappointing that this budget fails to meaningfully address the ongoing structural budget deficit in a balanced manner that includes tax extensions. Despite the rising bipartisan support for revenue extensions from parents, educators, local government, law enforcement, businesses and communities throughout the state, Republican legislators refused to provide the two-thirds vote needed to extend temporary taxes and allow the public to vote for ongoing revenues in the fall.
"Earlier this week, I called on my fellow Republicans to do what is right, put students before politics and make education a priority by extending temporary taxes -- they failed to do so," said CSBA President Martha Fluor. "As a result, we are back to passing a budget that relies on financial gimmicks, one-time fixes and once again avoids dealing with the enormous amount of debt our state currently faces. California voted for a governor that believes in facing our financial problems head-on, eliminating the 'smoke and mirrors' solutions we have seen for so many years and tackling the mountain of debt we face. Governor Brown's May revise budget proposal did just that."
Over the past three years, schools have taken debilitating cuts. Tens of thousands of teachers and staff have been laid off, in many districts libraries are closed, summer school has been cancelled, classes have been cut and supplies are dwindling. The very resources and programs that ensure students' success and increase academic achievement throughout the state are being eliminated as a result of $18 billion in cuts and deferrals to schools.
Parents and community members understand that investing in education is the foundation of a strong economy and a well-educated workforce. This budget does not provide that stable investment.
"In education, as in all other walks of life, you get what you pay for," said Fluor. "In California, we are paying for less and less each year. The reality is, our schools are not failing us. We -- as a state -- are failing our schools. This budget only reinforces that reality."
