California is facing a $15.2 billion deficit and the July 1 “deadline” for passing a budget has come and gone. Despite this, the state Senate and Assembly decided to take their summer vacation, leaving the budget negotiations in the hands of the “Big 5”: the governor and the leaders of the Democrat and Republican caucuses in each house. But these meetings are really the “Big 4,” since the governor is not yet taking an active role in negotiations. At press time, no progress had been reported in these talks.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell recently held a press conference in Sacramento, where he was joined by a number of educational leaders. The point of the event was to raise awareness on how the state’s budget crisis is already having an adverse effect being felt at local schools.

With proposed budget cuts to education, many local schools have cut back on or even eliminated summer school offerings for students. The press conference was held at Sacramento’s McClatchy High School, where Principal Cynthia Clark, an ACSA member, told how her school had to cut summer school enrollment by 50 percent.

“These cuts hurt our English learner students and our struggling students who need help with the foundational skills,” she said.

O’Connell pointed out how potential budget cuts will have other deleterious effects on schools, which will have to cut class size reduction, arts, career technical education and other programs: “The budget has already had a tangible impact on education,” O’Connell said. “Summer school is a lost opportunity that can never be made up. Even schools that are just scaling back what they offer will begin offering classes only to students who need to complete courses in order to graduate. This means that students looking to get ahead or improve their grade point average will not be able to do so.”

ACSA member Dave Gordon, superintendent of Sacramento County Office of Education, was on hand to decry the proposed budget cuts. He pointed out how the cuts will hurt students getting ready to enter the workforce in a global economy.

“We’re shortchanging the very students who would fill these positions,” Gordon said.

In addition, Gordon pointed out how cutting summer school sends the wrong message to students trying to achieve California’s world-class educational standards.

“We’re telling our students that we’re making it tougher for them to get to where we want them to be,” he said. “We need to invest in making our schools the best they can be.”

Paul Chapman, president of the California School Boards Association, said it’s time for California to step up to the plate for struggling students.
“We talk about closing the achievement gap, but talking doesn’t make it a reality,” he said.

Gordon closed the conference by noting that even if education were to receive the same amount of funding as last year, it would still be a step back because of such factors as the rising costs of health care, bus fuel and normal step and column salary increases.

“When all is said and done, you’re about 2 to 3 percent down, even when you’re getting the same amount of money,” Gordon said.