CA Initiative to Focus on Classrooms Only

Below is an article from the Sacramento Bee on the CTA Initiative designed to take education out of the political football game of the State each year. Because it looks as though education will be taking the largest hit in this current budget, classrooms somehow need a way to be funded directly and not keep allowing the money to be funneled through the administrative offices at each district that fail to ensure that resources reach the classrooms. After reading many of the comments from readers this article generated, it appears that voters are angry about the state of education, and in not appearing to get a noticable return for the investment education seems to be receiving. In reality, not much of the money coming in really reaches the classroom and students in the way site budgets keep shrinking and schools are understaffed - both classified and certificated. Nevertheless, from our perspective, this step is an attempt to correct this perpetual and unfortunate educational bureaucracy.

California teachers prepare a tax-hike initiative
By Steve Wiegand swiegand@sacbee.com q{

Published: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009 Page 3A

The California Teachers Association has put together an initiative that would raise the state sales tax by a penny and dedicate all of the resulting revenue to education.
But whether the group pulls the trigger on gathering signatures to qualify the measure for a special election ballot later this year will depend on what happens in the next few weeks in budget negotiations between legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Our State Council of Education (CTA's top governing body) meets late this month and will make the final decision on how we move forward," CTA spokeswoman Sandra Jackson said, "after doing some internal research and looking at what the possibilities are with the governor's proposal."
Schwarzenegger has proposed a 1.5-cent hike in the sales tax for three years, as part of an effort to close the state's gaping $40 billion budget deficit.
The governor's 2-month-old plan has gone nowhere, mainly because tax increases require two-thirds approval of the Legislature, and Republican lawmakers have vowed to fall on their swords before voting for any tax increase.
Another part of Schwarzenegger's proposal would slice $5.2 billion from elementary and high schools and community colleges through the rest of this fiscal year and in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
The CTA initiative would generate an estimated $5 billion to $6 billion a year. Of that, 89 percent would go to K-12 schools, and the rest to community colleges.
The measure would restrict use of the revenue to specific purposes that include class size reduction, funding art, music and vocation education courses, and salaries for teachers and other school employees.
The money couldn't be used for administrative costs, and legislators and the governor couldn't touch the revenue. The money would be allocated to school districts based on their average daily student attendance.
There is little question the 340,000-member group, which is one of the most powerful interests in the state, could muster the money and troops to gather the 433,971 signatures of registered voters to qualify the initiative, and to run a politically credible campaign.
But the budget situation is so murky, it's difficult to handicap its chances with voters, who polls have shown love schools and hate taxes in about equal measures.
"Initiatives generally occur when the Legislature fails to solve the problem," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.
"In virtually every revenue proposal (being discussed in negotiations), the sales tax is included. So if we solve the problem, then in all practicality it would be difficult to go to the voters to raise the state sales taxes for education."
Steinberg also said, however, that if no deal is reached and the initiative appears on the ballot, he would "most probably" support it.
Call Steve Wiegand, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 321-1076.