School district board hears update on Governor’s budget proposal
February 14, 2014
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula News
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula Times
The Santa Paula Unified School District Board has heard an update on Governor Brown’s budget proposal and how it impacts the district.
Assistant Superintendent Donna Rose told the board that the economy is doing better. “All the forecasts are that it’s still slow and steady,” she said. “It’s not like it’s leaping forward but it’s doing continually better. The revenues are up and Governor Brown is keeping true to his word. He promised that he was going to bring education back...the level of funding whenever he could and he is trying to meet that commitment to schools.”
The Governor’s budget proposes the greatest increase in per-student average funding since 2000-01. Rose said that, to protect public education during the eventual downturns the Governor proposes two rainy day funds; one for education and one for the rest of the State budget.
What’s not in the budget? The budget does not address a statewide school facilities bond; no new funding to address the unfunded liability in the California State Teachers’ Retirement Systems fund; no new funding to address special education shortfalls and no payments on the prior-year state mandate credit card..
Rose noted that the budget allows for $51.6 billion in K-14 Proposition 98 funds for 2014-15. That is a $6.3 billion increase over the current year. In addition, $3.3 billion more is provided in one-time funding from prior years. California Proposition 98 requires a minimum percentage of the state budget to be spent on K-12 education and it guarantees an annual increase in education in the California budget.