Vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reduces education appropriations for fiscal year 2008-2009 by $2.26 billion and makes additional statutory amendments to accommodate for the reductions.

Highlights:

-Reduces appropriation that include, but are not limited to, the following (Secs. 16 & 29):

- $417.59 million from the Instructional Materials Block Grant; - $277.38 million from the Deferred Maintenance Program; - $273.29 million from the Professional Development Block Grant; - $168.09 million from the School Library and Improvement Block Grant; - $114.21 million from the High Priority Schools Grant Program for Low Performing Schools; - $109.76 million from the Arts and Music Block Grant; - $99.03 million from the School Safety Block Grant; - $61.85 million from the Pupil Retention Block Grant; - $56.73 million from the Mathematics Reading and Professional Development Program; - $45 million from the Adult Education Program; - $41.81 million from the Physical Education Teacher Incentive Grant Program; and - $39.78 million from the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

- Increase of the 2008-2009 county superintendent of schools revenue limit deficit factor from 4.396 percent to 5.050 percent; - Increase of the 2008-2009 school district revenue limit deficit factor from 4.713 percent to 5.357 percent; - Suspension of the requirement that governing boards of school districts purchase recently updated textbooks for fiscal years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; - Reduction of the amount that school districts are required to deposit into routine restricted maintenance accounts from one to three percent; - Redirection of the $100 million originally appropriated to the Emergency Repair Program to the Department of Education for investment in regional occupational centers and programs; - Reduction of the Charter School Categorical Block Grant amount from $500 to $400 per-student for fiscal year 2008-2009; - Suspension of the requirement that proof of an oral health assessment having been performed by a dentist be provided for each student while enrolled in kindergarten, or first grade if that student was not previously enrolled in kindergarten, for fiscal years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; - Suspension of the requirement that schools identified as needing improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind Act participate in the Math and Reading Professional Development Program or the Administrator Training program for fiscal years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; and - Authorization of the governing body of a school district to use up to 100 percent of the balances, as of June 20, 2008, of restricted accounts in its general fund or cafeteria fund, excluding restricted reserves for capital outlay, bond funds, sinking funds, and federal funds, and balances in the following programs: Economic Impact Aid, Targeted Instructional Improvement Grant, instructional materials, special education, Quality Education Investment Act, California High School Exit Exam Intensive Intervention Program, and home-to-school transportation.

Full Bill Text