If the blog had been up last month, I would have ranted about this then. The Educated Guess is still fuming, so let me vent.
It’s not often that by near-unanimity, Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature agree on a potentially significant education reform.
That happened with the passage (79-0 in the Assembly, 31-6 in the Senate) of AB 8, which would have taken the first small but important step toward rethinking how the state funds K-12 schools.
But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, with water, levies and dams on the brain , vetoed it hours before the signing deadline for legislation.
He did so with a puzzling and dismissive veto message.
He did so even though AB 8 was in line with the recommendations of his own Advisory Committee on Education Excellence.
He did so even though the Hewlett Foundation* had offered to pick up the costs of the study that the bill created.Is it any wonder why the associations representing school boards and school administrators are on the verge of suing Schwarzenegger and the state over education funding?
The bill was pushed by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a Santa Monica Democrat who chairs the Assembly Education Committee. It would have created a working group with broad representation – representatives of the Department of Finance, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the governor, staff of both parties’ leaders, the state superintendent of instruction – to create a comprehensive plan for finance reform by December 2010. That plan, the bill says, would be more equitable, rational and transparent. And it would support ongoing efforts at reform.
Anticipating a battle over winners and losers, the bill stipulated that the working group’s plan should hold districts harmless; they wouldn’t lose money under the new system.
These requirements directly address the concerns of the Excellence Committee, which concluded in its 2007 report: “Our current system is not equitable; it is not efficient; and it is not sufficient for students who face the greatest challenges.”
The bill called on the working group specifically to use the research of the 2007 Stanford-led research studies Getting Down to Facts — and the Excellence Committee. Between the two reports, the Legislature would have plenty of guidance on how to improve the system. Anticipating a battle over winners and losers, the bill stipulated that the working group’s plan should hold districts harmless; they wouldn’t lose money under the new system. So any big change in approach, such as directing more money per capita for low-income and English learners, would be done with new money. This stipulation, which the Excellence Committee also endorsed, made bipartisan support possible.
Two years ago, Schwarzenegger ignored his Advisory Committee on Education Excellence, because it concluded that billions of new dollars were needed to carry its recommendations. He refused to urge taking the first logical step: a plan for finance reform.
Yet in his veto message, Schwarzenegger dismissed the “convening of yet another working group” as “the appearance of activity without actually translating to achievement.” In a gratuitous swipe, he said the Legislature is showing the same lack of urgency in not rushing to pass bills that would make California more competitive for federal Race to the Top grants.
Brownley, who’ll be a key figure in a special session, was clearly irked. “Shocked and puzzled” by the veto, she said, “AB 8 would require a plan be brought forth within a year’s time. His lack of urgency on this most important issue is appalling.”
* Full disclosure: The Hewlett Foundation is underwriting this blog.
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