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The California Budget Stalemate and Children

By Duane E. Campbell
Professor of Education
California State University Sacramento

Once again Californians are treated to a budget standoff- as we have been so often in the last 10 years. This is not a failure to govern on the part of the legislature although it is portrayed as such in local sound bite news reports. The majority party could have passed a budget on June 15 but it is blocked from governing by the Republican minority.

It is clear that a budget resolution will require some program cuts and some tax increases. It makes a great deal of difference which taxes will be increased. Republicans use the requirement of a 2/3 vote on taxes to block majority rule and to prevent tax increases.

This is misgovernment by ideology.

In the next two to three weeks schools across California will be opening. Over 6 million children will be returning to school. Some 477,000 will be entering first grade in over 5,000 schools. Each of these schools has a budget and each of these budgets are in confusion while the state decides what to do about its budget crisis. At least 25% of the schools will not be ready for the students because the school doesn’t know what its budget will be.

Will the school have an ELL teacher or two?

Will there be a reading coach?

Will class size be 24 or 32? Which really means we will have to re-organize each of the classes and the teachers.

What will happen to the new programs established last year under the Quality Investment in Education Act?

Shall the district hire a new teacher or only a 30 day substitute?

Do we have the money for an ELL specialist or will the money be for an algebra teacher? And when we finally hear if we have the money, will the well qualified algebra teacher have moved to another state where this annual disruption of their lives does not occur? Really, would you wait 2-3 months each year to see if you had a job?

And, even in mainstreamed classes, will there be two English Learners or eight?

These are but the start of the many decisions that need to be made. Rather than beginning school in late August, far too many classrooms will have to wait until October while the budget gets decided and allocations are made.

This is a state that ranks 47th in math and about 48th in reading. A state budget impasse each year creates 4-6 weeks of school disruption, confusion, and disorganization.

And then the legislature calls for accountability?

The budget impasse is not only about whether legislators and their staffs can attend their respective party conventions. The impasse is also about the annual disruption of education for thousands of California students, and the disruptions of health care payments, and the disruptions of state worker pay, and more.

Duane Campbell is a Professor of Bilingual/Multicultural Education at Calif. State University-Sacramento and the author of Choosing Democracy; a practical guide to multicultural education. (Merrill/Pren Hall.2004)

Posted on August 08, 2008

Comments

I am equally upset about the current state of affairs. I am, or rather was, a student assistant for a state agency until the governor signed his executive order, effectively suspending my employment until such time as there is a state budget. While I respect this opinion on the matter, I must disagree with the belief that a simple majority should be able to dictate the state budget. Although there is a majority of Democrats in the legislature, there is a definite reason for the 2/3 rule. If it were changed, you would effectively be disenfranchising the Republicans throughout the state. I believe that there should be some taxes, but being that these are tough financial times nation wide, and California is ranked in the top ten for most business UNFRIENDLY states due to its heavy taxing, I believe that it is perfectly within the Republicans right to block any budget that would raise taxes. What does a normal person do when they run short on funds? They cut out unnecessary spending from their budget, why shouldn't our legislature be held to that same standard. I'm not saying that it will be easy, but it must be done, and new taxes are not the answer. Being a licensed Engineer In Training, I plan on getting my professional license in California, but I WILL NOT BE STAYING in the state when I start my firm, a position shared by many of my fellow students from around the state. Brain drain is the buzz word for this "phenomenon" and its being brought upon the state by our politicians and their irresponsible fiscal spending fueled by new taxes. CUT THE FAT, OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES, a state filled with uneducated workers who are NOT in demand, and WILL NOT support the spending of the legislature.

Posted by: Mark at August 9, 2008 09:39 PM

Bunch of phonies - you don't give a damn about education. All you want is the money. You join the chorus of people crying about the phony crisis. It's equal to lying to not mention that the state budget has gone up by $40 billion in five years, the school budget has been going up every single year, yet enrollment is dropping dramatically and performance remains flat, proof none of you gives a damn about education but only your bank accounts. I hate the Rove Republicans, but California Demaocrats are just a bunch of phony, lying money-gubbing hypocrites.

Posted by: Kris Williamson at August 12, 2008 09:18 AM

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