Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1546952
The social returns to revenues provided by Props. 30 and 55 have been demonstrably large. It's time to make these measures a permanent part of California school financing. spending reforms have pushed the progressivity of California school financing — how much relative spending goes to higher poverty districts — near the top of national rankings. But the report points out that the state still remains in the bottom third of public education investment effort nationwide. e report charts a path to a future where state education funding is robust and student success is near-universal. ese include many measures — such as reforms to the state's corporate income tax — that could provide significant revenue and should be pursued. Any measure that boosts the state General Fund would strongly benefit public education financing. Wething states that taking specific actions now are essential: • Pass Prop. 3 in November to make existing taxes permanent and boost overall re venu e for public school funding. If Prop. 3 fails, education funding will be cut by 15%, one in six educators could lose their jobs, programs and resources would be severely curtailed and students and communities would suffer the con- sequences for years. • Protect against funding threats from the federal government. Pandem- ic-era federal aid has dried up, and the Trump administration is threatening to withdraw federal contributions to education, which make up 14% of edu- cation funding in California and has been targeted at special education and high-poverty districts. Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will strip away resources that keep children healthy and fed. • Increase the LCFF base grant; reform Prop. 98 to further grow the general fund, and reform Prop. 13 — particularly the treatment of commercial prop- erty. Both would grow monies that flow into the LCFF grant pool. The report concludes that choices made by California voters and policy- makers in the past decade have made improvements to the level and equitable To read "Investing in California's Public Education: The Path to Equitable Reform," visit bit.ly/IFT_EPI_report2026. To learn more about Prop. 3 and get involved, read the related stories on pages 18 and 22, and visit cta.org/YesOn3. distribution of school funding, but there is scope to increase these dividends for future generations by building on these reforms and redoubling efforts to fully fund all of the state's public schools. "We do this work because we want to create robust programs that are a norm and not the exception, so our students and communities can understand what's possible when a school looks fully funded." —Elena Villa, Redlands Teachers Assn. Make the funding permanent: Why Prop. 3 must pass this November 33 F A L L 2 0 26