Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1522302
Our Students Deserve Fully Funded Schools! Join the fight to protect education funding and defend our public schools from cuts that will hurt our students and communities. Go to cta.org/budget for ongoing updates and ways to share your voice with lawmakers. " Tell legislators to value public schools and pass a budget that works now and in the future," Goldberg said. "Our students and communities are depending on us." Our Union's Fight to Defend Public School Funding Agreement reached with Gov. Newsom to protect Prop. 98 guaranteed school funds By Julian Peeples O U R U N I O N F O U G H T to defend guaranteed funding for public education and won — negotiating an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom in the State Budget to ensure that stu- dents, educators and families aren't impacted by cuts to the classroom this year while protecting future funding. CTA mobilized in early May, following the release of the governor 's revised proposed budget, which included approaches to close a deficit of approximately $27.6 billion that would have reduced guaranteed education funding and violated voter-approved Proposition 98. In addition to tele- vision commercials and meeting with legislators to secure their support, CTA President David Goldberg held a press briefing in mid-May to explain the situation and underscore that CTA will do whatever it takes to protect guaranteed funding for our public schools. Over Memorial Day weekend, our union reached an agree- ment with the governor that will protect education funding and uphold Prop. 98 while also not negatively impacting other areas of the budget, including health care and social services. The state will "suspend" the Prop. 98 requirement, paying schools less money in the short-term with the prom- ise of paying the $5.5 billion owed in future years. " The agreement reached with the governor to protect public school funding is a critical step forward for California's schools and communities," Goldberg said. "As we grapple with a massive deficit in our state, we will continue to work with allies to protect fundamental public services that our communities deserve. In the coming weeks, we will continue our advocacy with legislators along with our public cam- paign to protect public school funding in the state budget." Gov. Newsom said the agreement protects students, families and educators, while putting the state on the fiscally sound and sustainable path. " This agreement is a smart and balanced policy solution that incorporates feedback from California's educators," Newsom said. The revised proposed public education budget includes: Per Student Spending for TK–12 Education: TK–12 per-student funding totals $17,502 Prop. 98 funding and $23,878 when accounting for all funding sources. Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF): A decrease of $252 million for the LCFF for school districts and charter schools reflecting the updated 1.07% cost-of-living adjust- ment (COLA), revised estimates for transitional kindergarten expansion and increased offsetting property tax revenues. This brings total LCFF funding to approximately $79 billion. Community Colleges: A total of $11.8 billion in guaran- teed funding, including a 1.07% COLA. The budget must be adopted by June 15 and signed into law by the governor by July 1. At press time, CTA was actively working with lawmakers to protect public education funding; see cta.org/educator for the latest news. 27 S U M M E R 2 0 24 A