How does the May Revision stack up for educators?
Gov. Brown made it clear in his May Revision that unless voters renew Proposition 30 in November, California will have to make budget cuts in future years.
His revised budget proposal for 2016-17 slightly increases school and community college funding derived largely from Proposition 98 — up $2.8 billion from our current budget year — despite lower than anticipated state revenue projections.
Below are highlights from the May Revision.
Early childhood: The governor provided additional detail on the $1.6 billion Early Education Block Grant he proposed in January. In particular, he defines 2016-17 as a transition year before implementation in 2017-18 and maintains current funding during the transition.
TK-12 schools: There were a few increases including $154 million for the Local Control Funding Formula and an additional $134.8 million in one-time discretionary funds to districts. The governor also proposed $12.5 million for two programs aimed at addressing the teacher shortage. There is no cost-of-living adjustment, a further reduction from the meager 0.47 percent increase proposed in January.
Adult education: There is no change to the $500 million Adult Education Block Grant, but the governor proposes an additional $5 million in one-time monies to provide regional consortia with technical assistance through 2018-19.
Community colleges: The May Revision includes an increase of $75 million for base funding and maintains enrollment growth funding of 2 percent. Districts would also receive an additional $29.2 million in one-time discretionary funds and another $20 million to support the development of online courses. As with TK-12 teachers and classified employees, there is no COLA for college educators.
University of California: Funding remains consistent with the 2015 UC Agreement — including the ongoing $25 million allotment of General Fund monies and $171 million to fund the retirement program. The May Revision includes a new $4 million expenditure for the Admission-to-Graduation Success Initiative aimed at improving student retention and graduation rates.
— By Emily Gordon, CFT Research Director
> Find the CFT’s Budget Briefs and learn more about the state budget process.