In a demonstration of unity, California’s leading education organizations representing administrators, classified employees, county superintendents, parents, school board members, school business officials and teachers convened on the West Steps of the State Capitol on May 21 to urge the Legislature to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to withhold $3.9 billion owed to public schools.
The Governor’s proposal would reduce Proposition 98’s constitutionally guaranteed school funding by approximately $643 per student statewide. Education leaders warn the proposal threatens staffing, student supports, mental health services, class-size limits, special education programs and classroom instruction across California.
“That dollar figure comes with a real price for our schools. It means larger class sizes, fewer teachers in classrooms, fewer counselors and instructional aides supporting students, and reduced mental health and student support services,” said CSBA President Dr. Debra Schade. “As school board members who have to make tough budget decisions, the administration’s withholding forces us into terrible choices that result in fewer opportunities for students who already face enormous challenges.”
The proposed withholding of Prop 98 funds comes at a time when schools are navigating mass layoffs, surging student needs and looming federal cuts. Coalition leaders emphasized that Prop 98 was created by California voters to guarantee stable, predictable funding for schools — especially during periods of fiscal uncertainty.
Speakers explained the fiscal landscape in education, and the importance of rejecting the withholding.
“Our educators and school leaders have spent the last several years managing through the pandemic recovery, staffing shortages, rising costs and the expiration of one-time state and federal dollars,” said Daryl Camp, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) president and San Lorenzo Unified School District superintendent. “This has created instability and uncertainty in future budgets. Continuing to withhold Proposition 98 funding not only adds to that instability but forces districts to plan budgets without having the full picture. California students deserve a budget that fully invest in their success, their opportunities and their futures.”
“One out of every eight children attending public schools in the U.S. does so in California,” said Erika Jones, California Teachers Association (CTA) secretary-treasurer and Los Angeles USD teacher. “Withholding from Prop 98 leaves local communities bearing the weight of the uncertainty when additional funding isn’t immediately available. That’s why voters passed Prop 98 — to guarantee those students get the level of education they deserve. As the fourth-largest economy in the world, California leadership should be striving to give students more than the bare minimum, let alone dipping into that minimum to cover budget shortfalls.”
“I’d like to recognize the unity, as all of the members of The Education Coalition are here to speak today, unified against this proposal and our message is clear: The Governor and the Legislature must keep their promise to the students of California and fully fund Proposition 98,” said Tristan Brown, legislative director, CFT–A Union of Educators & Classified Professionals, AFT, AFL-CIO. “Any delay in funding will hurt our kids and that is unacceptable. Every day our students and their families face increasing hardship, rising food and gas costs, ballooning electric bills and high healthcare costs, just to name a few.”
Tulare County Office of Education Superintendent and California County Superintendents President-elect Tim Hire provided a more local perspective. “As a county superintendent, one of my most important roles is to support and oversee the fiscal health of the LEAs [local educational agencies] in Tulare County,” he said. “The proposal to withhold nearly $4 billion from California schools will result in real and immediate consequences for districts and students across our state. For Tulare County alone, we estimate this withholding represents approximately $64 million that our districts cannot reliably plan on to use for services and programs for students.”
Representatives from the California School Employees Association (CSEA) and the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) emphasized that the withholding compromises the reliability of many services for students.
“That money belongs in our schools now and it should be used to support students, protect services, stabilize staffing and strengthen the public education system our communities depend on,” said Ron Walker, CSEA Area A director. “For classified employees, these investments are not abstract. Our members are the people who make these programs work every day. They support the students in the classrooms, prepare and serve meals, drive buses, keep campuses clean and safe, help families in school offices, maintain technology systems and provide so many essential services to our students. When funding is delayed or uncertain, those services are often among the first to be reduced.”
“Proposition 98 was passed in California by voters to ensure that education funding could not be traded away during difficult budget years,” said CASBO CEO Tatia Davenport. “Prop 98 is unambiguous. It is a guarantee. It is the law. It is not a suggestion. CASBO represents 30,000 school business professionals who manage the district budgets across California. Our members see how every budget decision plays out in the classrooms, the campuses and in our communities. And every dollar withheld has a consequence for our students.”
Representing the parent voice was Heather Ippolito, California State PTA president. “Some in Sacramento are calling the May Revise withholding of $3.9 billion in Proposition 98 funds a budget maneuver. California State PTA calls it what it is: a broken promise to California’s public school children,” she said. “That maneuver translates to $643 stripped from every student in California — not next year, not someday, but in the budget year that begins 10 weeks from now. Proposition 98 is not a suggestion. California voters wrote it into our Constitution because they understood something fundamental: Public schools are where California children learn to become California’s future, and that’s worth protecting.”
The Education Coalition includes ACSA, CASBO, California County Superintendents, California Federation of Teachers (CFT), CSBA, CSEA, California State PTA, CTA and Service Employees International Union.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.
