Update on the CQE and Assembly Bill 8

(Aug. 8, 2009)

 

 

•    Assembly Bill 8, sponsored by Assembly member Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), will promote transparency in the state education budget and address educational equity issues in low-income, immigrant, communities of color.   To track its progress, click here

 

•    AB 8 includes language contributed by the CQE.   Upon graduation “…all pupils are prepared, at the end of their elementary and secondary education, for college, careers, and successful participation in our democratic institutions, no matter where they live or what their economic, racial, or ethnic background may be.” (Lines 26-30).  To see the bill, click here

 

•    AB 8 passed out of the Assembly Education and Appropriations Committees on April 1, 2009 and May 28, 2009, respectively

•    AB 8 passed out of the Assembly Floor on June 2, 2009

•    Assembly member Cameron Smyth (R-Ventura) signed on as a co-sponsor of AB 8 in June 2009

•    AB 8 passed out of Senate Education Committee, with support from Committee Chair Gloria Romero (D-East LA) and Senator Loni  Hancock (D-Berkeley), on July 15, 2009

•    The CQE is featured on Assemblymember Brownley’s website here

•    A video report on AB 8 by the Assembly Report can be found here

•    NEXT STEP:  AB 8 will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, August 17, 2009.  For a draft letter of support, please click here.  For more information on how you can support AB 8, please call Carmen Iniguez at (510) 452-2728 or email carmenATcaljustice.org

NOTE:  The bill will require the Director of Finance and the Legislative Analyst to convene a working group to examine recent research (ex. Getting Down To Facts and The Governor’s Committee on Education Excellence) and recommend how to implement a new financing structure to the Legislature and Governor by the end of 2010. The group’s recommendations must include simple, transparent formulas for allocating funding, reflecting the cost of educating students with varying needs, including English learners and students in poverty. The group must recommend easy ways to report financial data so the public can see the effect programs have on student achievement.

Another key feature of the working group, is that it will open up an opportunity for organizations such as the CQE to participate:

“The working group shall consult with, or invite the participation of, organizations or experts it deems appropriate to accomplish its tasks.”