SB 84 VETO MESSAGE

BILL NUMBER: SB 84

VETOED DATE: 10/11/2009

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 84 without my signature.

This bill is unnecessary. The state made many tough decisions to balance the budget for 2009-10, including reducing general-purpose funding for certain local educational agencies in order to ensure the continuation of the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) program, which provides targeted funding to improve academic achievement in the state's lowest performing schools. The intent in making these reductions was to direct available federal resources to compensate for the reductions. This bill would delay implementation of these reductions until comparable resources are identified, but does not provide a solution.

Instead, my Administration has identified $355 million in federal Fiscal Stabilization Funds that have been provided to the State forth purpose of restoring reductions in the 2008-09 fiscal year. As a result, California will have a plan to achieve the savings included in the 2009-10 Budget, while holding QEIA schools harmless. With this plan, it avoids the need for county offices of education to require school districts to submit revised budgets detailing the assumed revenue limit reduction that was previously anticipated.

My Administration will be working with the Legislature to implement this plan.

For these reason, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger