FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 14, 2013 

This year’s budget begins to restore years of funding cuts to public education and services. It wouldn’t have happened without Proposition 30. While other states are still struggling, or even moving in the wrong direction with tax cuts and program cuts, California is showing the way forward with fair, progressive taxes to fund our schools and services. While we have a long way to go before we have the full resources that give access to the best education possible for all our students, from early childhood through the great public universities, this budget is a good start.

The governor’s Local Control Funding formula will help school districts and students who need the most help. It is a reform that has been a long time coming, and we are confident that as it is implemented we will be able to work out any problems for the benefit of the students.

While the increase in funding to community colleges allows more students to return to the system, counseling and other student services have been slashed to the bone. In the CSU and UC, a tuition freeze this year obviously helps, but years of increases have left students and their families with unsustainable levels of debt.

While celebrating a modest return to budget sanity, we can’t forget that Prop 30 only brings us about half way to full restoration of funding. We look forward to working with the governor and legislature in the coming year to find fair revenue solutions to fund California’s future.