Worst-case school cuts avoidable, Simitian says

Using “magic dollars” tucked away in leftover or overbudgeted state education accounts could avoid the need to suspend the Proposition 98 funding guarantees, Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) told a packed audience of primarily school officials in Palo Alto Saturday.

“Everybody here should be fighting like the devil to tell people, ‘Don’t Suspend Prop. 98,’” he said.

Suspending the proposition would set a dangerous precedent of continual school funding cuts, he said.

Earlier this month Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed cutting school funding by 10 percent as part of an emergency plan to wrangle California out of a $14.5 billion budget deficit.

The plan could cost school districts $400 million this fiscal year and $4 billion in the next fiscal year beginning in July.

Full article on Palo Alto Online

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