CA
Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Criticizes Governor's Proposal to Suspend Proposition 98
Author: California Dept. of Education
Published on Jul 2, 2009 - 7:38:03 AM

SACRAMENTO, July 1, 2009 - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to suspend Proposition 98, the minimum funding law designed to provide funding protections for our schools:

"The Governor continues to attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our students and our schools. Suspending Proposition 98 is a shortsighted approach that drops school funding into financial quicksand and will harm a generation of students.

"Our schools already have absorbed nearly $12 billion in cuts from a budget passed just months ago. As a result, schools have had to cut summer school; class sizes are going up; teachers and support staff have been laid off; and art, music, and sports programs are being eliminated. The list of tragic consequences of our budget crisis continues to grow.

"California needs a well-educated, critically thinking, and problem-solving workforce in order to improve and grow California's economy. Public education is the key to unlocking the potential for success that our students possess. It is wrong-headed to cut education when we desperately need to nurture and support the students in our schools today who will be the backbone of our economy in just a few short years.

"Proposition 98 was passed by the voters of California to provide a floor of funding for our schools. Suspending it simply pulls the rug the out from under our students and the future of our state."

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