Some early indicators of how Arnold intends to handle California's disastrous Educational system.
___________________________________
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Schwarzenegger wants education funding change
By JENNIFER COLEMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, October 16, 2003 -
SACRAMENTO — Though most of Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger's education agenda stays on the same track as that of the two previous governors, he has targeted two changes that others, including Gov. Gray Davis, have tried and failed to get through the Legislature.
The incoming governor wants to repeal a law that requires districts to prove that outside vendors will save money and requires that the contractor's wages not undercut school district pay rates. He also wants to lump the funds for educational "categorical" programs into block grants.
Both ideas were presented last year to the Legislature, which shot them down.
But Schwarzenegger, fresh from winning the unprecedented recall election, could take office with enough momentum to push his ideas through, said Kevin Gordon, executive director of the California Association of School Business Officials.
"What's notable in Arnold Schwarzenegger's education package is that he's not calling for a sharp right turn in the reforms that the state's been making," Gordon said.
Schwarzenegger, who has surrounded himself with aides to Republican former Gov. Pete Wilson, indicates he will keep the student testing, school accountability, class-size reduction and other programs that were started under Wilson, Gordon said.
Through his work on Proposition 49, the after-school programs initiative approved by voters last year, Schwarzenegger also built ties with the education community.
While he ran for governor, Schwarzenegger pledged not to cut education spending -- which accounts for about 44 percent of the state's $99 billion budget.
He also promised educators, who have tried to hold off cuts in school funding, more flexibility in how they can use their money.
Part of that can be done by restructuring how the state pays for nearly 100 educational programs called categoricals that have their special sources of money.
That money -- totaling about $11 billion -- can be used only for designated purposes, such as adult and special education, class-size reduction, transportation and school safety officers.
Earlier this year, Davis proposed consolidating the many programs into five block grants that schools could use as they desire, but the Legislature rejected that idea.
What initially started as programs to help poor and minority children and students with special needs turned into a torrent of categorical programs, such as class-size reduction, that can apply to all schools, said state Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno.
"The whole system has seen a proliferation of programs and then what you have are districts chasing the dollars," said Poochigian. "They'll change their programs to fit the dollars and that can undermine the educational mission."
Poochigian asked for a state audit of the programs to find ways to improve how the money is spent. That audit is due next month.
Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, agreed there are too many categoricals but that many are "very worthy." Davis erred, he said, by proposing too broad of a change. "Had they honed in on a couple of categories, we probably would have seen some success."
dailybulletin.com |
