by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 25, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

alifornia Gov. Arnold Schwazenegger faces a far bigger budget mess than he inherited from former Gov. Gray Davis, who he defeated Oct. 8, 2003 in an unprecedented recall election. Davis watched the state hemorrhage into insolvency during the 2000-01 energy crisis, where out-of-state power companies turned off the juice, jacked up prices and fleeced California of billions, sending the state into massive budget deficits. Voters punished Davis for mismanaging the crisis and proposing a whopping increase in vehicle registration fees. Cleaning up the mess, Arnold borrowed $20 billion, hoping to postpone the day of reckoning now hitting the state. Faced with a new $10 billion deficit, Arnold proposes $4.8 billion in education cuts, causing chaos in the state's education system. With a revised budget expected May 14, Arnold must get his priorities straight.

      When Schwarzenegger announced Jan. 11, 2008 the looming fiscal crisis, he proposed across-the-board cuts, expecting everyone to share the pain equally. While he says that “all” options are on the table, he ruled out tax increases, especially hiking vehicle registration fees. Arnold, while not always on the same page with GOP friends in the legislature, is a died-in-the-wool Supply-Sider, believing that tax increases hurt business and shrink government revenues. Because he was voted-in in 2003 rescinding Davis' DMV fee hike, he painted himself into a corner, finding no way to reduce the deficit other than slashing essential programs. Holding a press conference April 24, state Republicans expressed opposition to all tax hikes, blaming Democrats for extravagant spending causing today's deficits. In reality, the current recession and housing slump dramatically reduced state receipts.

      There are no “across-the-board” cuts when education bears nearly 50% of California's current budget deficit. While education presents one of the state's biggest targets, cutting funding doesn't protect the people's business. Arnold talks about what's best for “the people” but forgets that education represents the No. 1 priority for most Californians. When economic bad times hit, the governor and legislature must find other ways to balance the budget than robbing residents of education spending. Whatever problems exist in terms of waste, fraud and mismanagement in education, it's not time to bash the school system. That's an ongoing process of streamlining a behemoth program. Republican leaders must stop blaming Democrats or educators for today's budget shortfall. Taking money, as some GOP legislators suggest, from the working or jobless poor makes no sense.

      California must come to grips with the nationwide recession that has upended budget priorities in most states. Instead of pointing fingers, the governor and legislature must deal with reality, meet its obligations and preserve top-priority funding. Slashing education funding in K-12, Community Colleges, State Colleges or University of California undermines the long-term goals of the state. Ranked 8th in Gross Domestic Product among world economies, California ranks either 46th or 29th in pupil spending depending on the survey. Education Week ranks California 46th when adjusted for geographic costs. With the national average of $8,973 per pupil, New York stands at the top spending $12,000, while California spends $7,942, according to the National Education Association. Without adjusting for costs, the state ranks 25th, according to the Legislative Analyst Office.

      Wherever the state stands in per pupil spending, California has the nation's largest immigrant population, dragging down test scores and presenting onerous problems for teachers. GOP legislators like to point out that per pupil spending doesn't necessarily correlate with improved education. They have no answer for what California teachers should do with so many immigrant students. Applying standardized tests mandated by President George W. Bush's “No Child Left Behind” fails to consider the dilemma faced by California educators. Slashing the education budget, increasing class sizes, reducing the number of teachers can only wreak more havoc on an already strained education system. Arnold and the GOP can't stick to a “no tax pledge” by raising fees at all California-funded education institutions. Finding a fix to today's budget involves more than political rhetoric.

      Arnold and the GOP must reexamine their “no tax pledge” and consider the repercussions of slashing the education budget. While there's nothing wrong with streamlining and belt-tightening, there's something obscene about balancing the state's temporary financial woes on the back of education. Education is the state's top priority to create a better-educated and trained workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. “I would suggest that there is a commensurate linkage to the reduction of school funding to the lack of economic productivity in the state,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. Instead of talking platitudes about “no tax pledges” or Supply-Side Economics, Arnold should find practical ways to preserve funding to the state's education system. When the economy eventually recovers, he won't forget what's really important.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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