“When news arrived that the federal stimulus package had passed, the education community and our entire state breathed a heavy sigh of relief,” said Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch). “But now that we know we face an additional deficit of at least $8 billion, we are holding our breath once again. We can’t waste a single day to get these education federal stimulus dollars where they belong—to schools.”
California will receive approximately $6 billion in K-16 education funding through the ARRA. Delivery of these dollars is expected from the federal government in days.
Torlakson wrote in a letter to the Governor that as May quickly approaches, thousands of teachers and staff are in jeopardy of losing their jobs, thus deepening the economic crisis in their own communities. The loss of these teachers will mean that classroom teacher and support staff ratios will soar, and kids will pay the consequences. Additionally, many district superintendents have indicated that if the stimulus dollars aren’t forwarded to them soon, they will run out of cash.
Torlakson went on to urge the Governor, as California’s lead on these funds, to ensure that the ARRA dollars flow directly to our schools as quickly as possible and encourage our schools to use these flexible funds to backfill their local best practices, mitigate increasing staffing ratios, and protect program quality across the board.
Last month, as part of the budget plan to close the $42 billion deficit, $8.4 billion was cut from the state’s education spending. Following the passage of the budget, the deficit is now projected to be at least $8 billion greater than originally estimated. To help fill that gap, the California's independent Legislative Analyst's Office recommended that the education budget be cut by an additional $3.6 billion, with the intent that federal stimulus money would replace those depleted funds.
“Funding education is not only immediate economic stimulus, but an investment in our future,” added Torlakson. “We must act quickly so these funds are best utilized.”
View Assemblymember Torlakson's Open Letter to the Governor here. |
