Features

BUSD Plans Formal Entry Into State Budget Battle By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Tuesday February 01, 2005

Berkeley Unified School District plans to enter the state budget battles this week with a board resolution calling on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to “fully fund education according to the requirements of Proposition 98.” 

The resolution highlights the agenda at Wednesday’s BUSD Board of Directors meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. at the Old City Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Proposition 98 is the 1998 state Constitutional amendment which established minimum-funding levels for K-12 schools and community colleges in California. During budget negotiations last year, Schwarzenegger made a deal with state education leaders that—in return for their support of temporary suspension of the Prop. 98 funding guarantees in 2004-05—the governor promised to restore the money in 2005-06 and to fully fund Prop. 98 beyond. However, Schwarzenegger reneged on the deal, cutting more than $2 billion in Prop. 98 money this year. 

Noting that California ranks 44th in the nation in per-pupil spending, the proposed BUSD resolution accuses the governor of “break[ing] his promise to California’s students to ensure adequate school funding.” 

Last month, BUSD Superintendent Michele Lawrence told the Daily Planet that the days of traditional lobbying state government were over, saying “that kind of marching on Sacramento and waving your flag doesn’t seem to be getting the results that we would like any longer” and adding that “it’s yet to be decided what the response of the education community should be and is likely to be.” 

In recent days, BUSD leaders have been saying that Lawrence is working to help build a statewide education coalition designed to fight the governor’s education cuts. 

In other action at Wednesday’s meeting, the board will be asked to approve a $200,000 contract for Berkeley-based Design Community and Environment (DCE) to hold community meetings and develop a plan for the district’s West Campus and Oregon Street/Russell Street properties, as well as for the district’s administrative offices at Old City Hall. The superintendent’s office is scheduled to present a proposal for the three properties to the board at its Jun. 29 meeting. 

The board is also scheduled to hear a report on student diversity in the district, as well as a financial update on Measure BB, the school funding tax approved by voters in November.Å