California Is Enjoying Record High Revenues... Why Are K-12 Schools On Life Support?

Under California’s new Local Control Funding Formula per pupil funding is capped at 2007-08 levels, and that level of funding will not be reached until 2021. In 2007-08 California general fund revenues were $105 billion; today, revenues are at a record high $117 billion.

With $12 billion in “surplus revenues”, why is the State intentionally underfunding K-12 public education

Source: California Department of Finance Historical Data General Fund Budget Summary

http://www.dof.ca.gov/budgeting/budget_faqs/documents/Chart-A.pdf

Failing to provide students with sufficient funding to obtain high quality staff, program expansion and variety, beneficial teacher- pupil ratios and class sizes, modern equipment and materials, and high-quality buildings is a violation of a students fundamental right to achieve a quality education that is guaranteed to them by the California Constitution.

The California Constitution gives education funding a unique priority above all other spending.

“from all state revenue there shall first be set apart the monies to be applied by the State for support of the public school system...” California Constitution Article XVI, Section 8

Per pupil funding has been hovering around $7,400 for years; if CUSD finally makes it to it’s 2021, goal of $8,829 the revenue will have been flat for almost 14 years.

During the great recession CUSD cut $152 million from it’s budget (cuts that resulted in furlough days, increased class sizes, reduction to programs, and a lack of facilities maintenance). Without increased funding- these cuts will never be restored.

Source 2007-14: California Department of Education Current Expense of Education

Source 2014-15: June 25, 2014 Board of Trustees Meeting Agenda Item #13 page 208

Source 2015-16: June 24, 2015 Board of Trustee Meeting Agenda Item #6 page 210

The Capistrano Unified School District- One Of The Most Under-funded Districts In The United States.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Source: Governing - Education Spending By State Adjusted for Inflation

Source: The Census - Per Pupil Funding for the 100 Largest Public Elementary School Systems page 25

Source: California Department of Education - Current Expenses

The Continued Lack Of Adequate Funding Has Resulted In A Notable Decline In Academic Performance Of Students Across ALL Demographics.

API in decline - CUSD API dropped 9 points from 2012 to 2013.

Source: 2012-13 Accountability Progress Reporting (APR)

The State suspended API testing in 2014 and California Department of Education actually removed 15 years of STAR test data from public view before releasing new test scores. Public pressure forced the State to put the data back.

Source: EdSource: State Removes 15 Years of Test Results Before Releasing New Scores

AMO in Math and English in decline across almost all demographics.

Source: California Department of Education: Academic Performance Index (AYP) Report

EAP College Readiness - The data shows a substantial, and continual decline in Math for all students. The data also reflects that the number of students choosing to take Algebra II has declined. When tested, only 3% of students taking Algebra 2 were ready for college work, down from 6% the previous year.

College English

2013-14 College Ready (23%) + Conditional English (15%) = 38%

2014-15 College Ready (25%) + Conditional (15%) English = 40% an improvement of 2%

College Math (Total)

2013-14 College Ready (14%) + Conditional English (46%) = 60%

2014-15 College Ready (10%) + Conditional (41%) English = 51% a decline of 9%

Source: EAP Early Assessments for College Readiness

ACT Test Scores- Have been constant at 25 since 2007-08

SAT Test Scores - Have been constant at 1625 since 2007-08

Admissions requirements of both the UC and Cal State systems require 3 years of math (Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry) for admission. These classes must be completed prior to the 12th grade.

The minimum required GPA is 3.0 for residents.

Students wanting to go to UC or Cal-State schools (not Community College) must complete Algebra II by the end of 11th grade.

In 2013, the number of students that were “College Ready” or “Conditional” in Algebra II by the end of 11th grade was 33%. In 2014 that number dropped to 21% (an 11% decline).

CUSD is no longer preparing students for a college or career. 3/4 of CUSD’s graduating students will have no option but to attend Community College to complete remedial course work before beginning college level work. Academic performance in math is equally poor across all demographics. SAT and ACT scores are below what it takes to compete with students when applying to 4-year competitive colleges. Top students in the Capistrano Unified School District are actually being held back and are unable to meet their academic potential due to a lack of funding.

University of California minimum admission requirements.

Cal State minimum admission requirements.

CUSD Vision, Mission and Wildly Important Goals Part I of II March 18, 2015 BOT Meeting Slide #6

The State of California Has Not Been Transparent About California’s Academic Standards

The old California State Standard required 2 years of Math, and the passage of Algebra I with a “C” to graduate.

In January 2010, The State of California adopted the Common Core State Standards which required 3 years of math, and the passage of Algebra II to graduate.

On March 7, 2012 the State of California approved a new standard called the “California” Common Core State Standards which went back to 2 years of math, passage of Algebra 1 to graduate and lowered the grade required to graduate from a C to a D.

California has quietly backed away from the Common Core State Standards that it adopted in 2010 because so many students would have failed to graduate under the harder standards.

Common Core State Standards

Common Core Math Standards

California Curriculum Frameworks

“Old” California State Standard

We have to do a better job for all students so they have an opportunity to succeed in life. Right now we are failing our children by allowing the State to use tax money that was meant for education, for other programs and entitlements.

Have California Taxpayers Really Made The Decision To Fund High Speed Rail Rather Than Educate Our Students?

California’s 5 year Plan to Fund Education

Employee Compensation Recovery has been the State’s top priority - the passage of Prop 30 allowed the State to fund California public employee pensions and to restore salaries to 2008 levels by this year. While CUSD Teachers have seen their average compensation go from $95,000 in 2012-13 to $105,00 in 2014-15 to it’s current $108,000 the public needs to remember that students have the highest class sizes in the State, fundraising is paying for core academic classes, art music science. Fundraising is paying for Instructional Aids, Counselors, Librarians, nurses. Fundraising is even paying for Teacher release time and salaries. Relying on fundraising to pay for core educational programs and employee compensation creates wealth inequities across the district. While employees received annual compensation increases, students paid for that with furlough days and increased class sizes.

California State Controller Track Prop 30

Student Recovery is only starting now, and will depend on taxpayers digging into their pocket AGAIN to fund education, with no guarantee that these new revenue streams will actually make it to the classroom either:

• Taxpayers will be asked to make Prop 30 taxes permanent.

• The cap on sales tax rates for Cities and Counties has been increased by 1% so that local governments can tax residents an additional 1% to provide additional funding to local school districts. Assembly Bill 464

• The State has cut all funding for K-12 facilities funding, and expects Districts to fund all new construction and facilities maintenance through local bonds. In December the Capistrano Unified School District is going to ask taxpayers to float a bond for facilities. We don’t need a bond, we need the State to adequately fund K-12 public education. California’s 2015 5-year Infrastructure Plan

K-12 is California’s #1 mandated spending priority and yet not a single dime is being budgeted for K-12 facilities for the next 5 years. That is unconscionable given the current state of CUSD facilities and the need for new seats at impacted schools.

• The State is talking about giving School Districts the power to tax.

• The State is talking about using taxpayer money to subsidize housing for teachers because the cost of living has gotten so high in California. According to the latest census data the median household income in California is $60,940 the starting pay for a single teacher is $48,000. The average compensation for individual teacher in CUSD is now $108,000 per year. A household of 2 teachers is $216,000 per year for 185 days of work. (It should also be noted that CUSD’s unfunded pension liabilities have increased from $49 million in 2012-13 to $57 million today.

The Governor and the State Legislature; in collaboration with powerful public employee unions, have shifted the states spending priorities away from Education and are using tax money that is mandated for our students to create new programs and entitlements that are not Constitutionally mandated.

California has sufficient tax revenue to provide every student with an opportunity to achieve a quality education, but is choosing not to spend money on K-12 public education.

Learn more at http://www.peopleforstudentrights.com