September 17, 2012
By John Affeldt
There’s no need to decide which school funding proposition you prefer — 30 or 38 (the Munger initiative). Choose both.
Why vote for two different approaches to the same problem? Because first we need to fix the problem: that our schools are severely underfunded. California’s budget crisis has made things even worse, and trigger cuts are looming. Our schools, our students and our state desperately need funding. Any funding.
That’s why Public Advocates, along with the California School Boards Association, a large number of school districts, Educate Our State and others, is taking a “yes on both” stance.
Proposition 30 would raise revenues for K-12 public education, as well as higher education and public safety services. Proposition 38 (the Munger initiative) would raise revenues substantially and exclusively for K-12, preschool and child care. You might favor one over the other. But please consider that both would direct billions to our schools, counteracting the $20 billion in funding lost over the past five years. Both represent a step forward for a school system that is 47th out of 50 in per-pupil funding and that has only seen backward movement in terms of state support these past several years. Both send a clear message that education matters.
Voting for one and against the other could yield a net result of nothing. In other words, proponents of each could cancel each other out, and we could end up back where we started: with no new funding at all.
Read the California School Boards Association’s analysis and please join us in saying yes to funding for education, and yes to both 30 and 38. And don’t forget to spread the word among friends, family and colleagues.
