Testimony Before the Joint Committee
to Develop a Master Plan for Education - Kindergarten Through University
March 12, 2002
Presentation on Finance and Facilities
Workgroup K-12 Education By Rick McClure, CTA
Madame Chair and Members of the Committee:
I’m Rick McClure, chair of the California Teachers Association’s Financing
Public Education Committee.
On behalf of our more than 300,000 members, I’d like to thank you for
this opportunity to address one of the most important issues affecting
public education: securing and maintaining adequate funding for K-12 school
programs and facilities.
First, I’d like to commend that workgroup for its hard work in this
difficult and challenging arena.
CTA has long championed the simple principle that achieving world-class
educational standards for our students also requires a commitment to providing
world-class funding. As education professionals, we have also consistently
asserted that students cannot learn in overcrowded and inadequate facilities
For years, California funding for public education was near the bottom
of the 50 states. With CTA’s support and with Gov. Davis’s firm commitment
to schools, the legislature has adopted budgets with significant gains
in our levels of per-student funding. We believe that addressing future
funding needs by using a "Quality Education Model" makes sense and should
be a goal of the legislature.
Despite the passage of recent state bond measures, California has a
shortfall in facilities funding estimated as high as $40 billion. The state
has taken and is taking significant steps to meet this need.
Even so, more needs to be done. There are far too many schools that
are on double sessions, multi-track calendars and unable to implement significant
reforms such as class size reduction. The fact that the preponderance of
these schools are in the lowest deciles makes the problem even more severe
and requires long term solutions.
The dramatic reconfiguration of funding for schools that the work group
is proposing represents a major step in the right direction both for programs
and facilities.
Among the most important insights to emerge from the workgroup’s efforts
is the recognition that other means of increasing revenues for schools
must be explored. We are heartened to see recommendations that would reduce
to 55% the threshold needed to pass local revenue measures, such as sales
and parcel taxes.
We support the work group’s recommendations to give local school districts
more flexibility in using fiscal resources. We support the recommendations
that would hold districts accountable for how funds are used. Districts
would be, of course, held to strict accounting standards. But districts
would also be required to show that they are using resources effectively.
One measure of that effectiveness would be whether students are making
adequate progress toward meeting the world-class standards.
We also support the recommendation that additional funding be provided
for schools for special education, English language learners and students
from families with low incomes. A commitment to closing the achievement
gap requires a commitment of resources to that goal as well. This plan
addresses that need in a way we strongly support.
In the context of these dramatic recommendations, our concerns are few.
Relative to Recommendation 1.1, we support the development of a California
Quality Model and the establishment of a Quality Education Commission.
It is important that policy-makers include on the Commission working classroom
teachers. We also want Commission members to talk with and listen to practicing
classroom teachers as the quality model prototype seeks best practices
that are most associated with high student achievement. These educational
professionals can provide invaluable guidance in determining the needs
of the classroom and establishing minimum standards of adequacy in funding
and facilities.
We want policymakers to include practicing classroom teachers as part
of the ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and refinement of the Quality Education
Model. As policymakers seek to fine-tune any formulas that are adopted,
teacher feedback will be vital in assessing exactly what refinements need
to be made.
As efforts are made to raise additional funds for schools on the local
level, it will be important to ensure equity among schools in different
geographic and economic environments. We urge policy-makers to keep in
mind Serrano-Priest imperatives calling for equal opportunity to education
for all students. We want to emphasize, however, as I noted earlier, that
equal funding does not necessarily result in equal opportunity.
As efforts go forward to revamp the funding system for facilities to
a per-student allocation basis we urge you to not forget the recommendation
to bring everyone up to an equal level first. Without that provision we
will simply perpetuate the inequalities that already exist. We would also
urge policy-makers to put in line safeguards to ensure that Proposition
98 programmatic funding does not go for facilities purposes. At the same
time, we would urge the inclusion of clear prohibitions against allowing
districts – even or perhaps especially in hard times – to dip into facilities
funds for programmatic purposes. We believe no exceptions should be made
to these prohibitions against using facilities funds for programs. You
may be surprised to hear us say this, but we would not make exceptions
to allow facilities funds to go for programmatic items even as important
as instructional salaries.
We also would urge lawmakers to give the new system – once adopted –
time to work. There is a temptation to want to fix something before it
really has been given a fair chance to work.
Your agenda is a long one, so let me sum up. Teachers support the new
approach to funding education and facilities proposed by the work group.
We want our classroom practitioners to be involved in the revamping of
these processes and the definition of what is adequate funding.
We pledge to work closely with the legislature as it seeks to implement
recommendations designed to give California schools the world-class funding
they need to achieve the world-class standards we have set.
I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you would like to pose.
Thank you.
Masterk12facifinal.doc 3/12/2002 11:24 AM