GOP: How About We Cut School Funding
Oh no they didn't.... Well, of course they did. Why would we expect anything less out of the CA GOP? When they went searching for ways to cut the budget they settled on sacrificing our children's education, in their quest for a slightly more balanced budget. Have they not learned anything from the Special Election in '05? Californians do not support cuts to school funding. LAT:
Republican legislative leaders, vowing to block passage of a state budget until Democrats agree to more spending cuts, have proposed in secret talks to slash $400 million from schools, according to education groups that were briefed on the negotiations Tuesday.
School officials say they were shocked to learn of the proposal at a briefing on the state budget impasse — now in its third week — by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland).
The officials said they were told that, under the GOP plan, the money would be cut out of cost-of-living adjustments for salaries and other expenses and funding for the growth of student populations. The cuts would apply to schools with kindergarten through high school classes and to community colleges.
Gee wiz, that approach will make recruiting teachers, at a time when the state is desperate to hire that much easier. And schools that enroll more students can certainly find ways to educate more students on the same dime and ensure they are getting a quality education. Right?
No wonder the Republicans wanted to keep this super secret. CTA and other education organizations will be mobilizing on this as I type. The Democratic leadership has informed them that they will be standing strong against it. This information gives the groups the opportunity to put the Republicans and any potentially wavering Democrats under the microscope.
Each day that the negotiations continue comes a new move from the Democrats to ratchet up the pressure on the Republicans. One day it was no more vacations, now its the release of the education cuts. Tomorrow could be the cuts to public safety that Nunez indicated was in the Republicans proposal. The Democrats believe strongly that they have the public on their side and are working to raise the profile of the dispute. They are probably right. Most Californians, including many Republicans do not support the type of budget cuts that the Republicans are demanding. And many Republicans are not as rigid about fiscal conservatism as their elected officials.
Republican activists wanted this sort of a showdown after last years friendly negotiations. Their desire to prove their relevancy will show just how irrelevant their ideology is to the general public. Voters support education funding and they don't care as much that the budget is slightly out of balance. And that is the calculation the Democratic leadership is counting on.