SB 84 Update

The San Francisco Chronicle reports re the veto of  SB84 by Steinberg, which would have guaranteed $400 million in funding to 500 low-performing schools. In his veto message, the governor said that the bill is unnecessary and that his administration has found federal funds to provide the money.

smf: The language of SB 84 guaranteed funding of QEIA funds to low performing schools IF other funding – including Federal Funds – couldn’t be found.

• SB 84 was a safety net to a successful, ongoing and now-unfunded program– a net  the governor has now ordered removed.
• QEIA funding was eliminated previously when federal funds were identified – funds the feds later specifically disallowed - saying that federal funds couldn’t be used to infill previous cuts.
• Remember that QEIA is a court approved settlement of Prop 98 repayment guarantees the governor attempted to renege on.