California State PTA: STATE BUDGET INFORMATIONAL ALERT

Legislative Alert

February 4, 2009

State budget: Informational Alert

Negotiations continue in Sacramento between the Governor and legislative leaders.

Senate President Darrell Steinberg has announced a vote may occur next week on a budget, though he pointed out a final agreement has not yet been reached. Specific details of the negotiations have been kept relatively quiet, but as much as $11 billion in cuts to education, on top of $3 billion already cut last fall, is on the table.

Some new revenues are also on the table, though not enough to seriously mitigate the damaging cuts. In addition, a spending cap may be part of the proposed deal. We continue to be deeply concerned about any budget cap that would lock education funding at the bottom of all other states in per-student spending for years to come.

Steps You Can Take

All legislators need to hear directly from parents and PTAs about the devastating impact that cuts proposed in the state budget will have on children. We know many of you have been contacting legislators or are suffering from "budget cut fatigue." But it is vital to remind legislators that PTA and all parents are watching. We believe they have other options available to prevent deeper cuts that harm our children and California's future.

• Let your state legislators know that California State PTA has an Economic Recovery Plan to safeguard the future of the state.
• Join the conversation by organizing or participating in a local "Off the Hook, 'Round the Clock" phone call activity. Find out more here.
• Keep informed: To help you educate your local members on budget issues and to communicate effectively with legislators, we've prepared State Budget FAQs.

Find more information and resources at www.capta.org