California Governor Resists Pressure To Change Education Funding Plan

The San Jose Mercury News (5/15, Harrington) reports that California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) resisted "push-back from his own party" over his "bold new education-funding plan...aimed at helping schools better educate disadvantaged students," noting that the plan is reflected in his budget proposal released Tuesday. The paper reports that Brown "said all K-12 schools would get more funding than they received in 2011-12, but that those with higher concentrations of low-income students, English language learners and foster youth would get more" in the form of a 35% supplemental grant "for each unduplicated student." The piece notes that Democrats in the state Senate recently released a counterproposal "which would eliminate concentration grants and spread them to all districts to increase the base amounts for every student."

The AP (5/15, Lin) reports that Brown's new proposal "looks much different from the ones Californians have become accustomed to in recent years: It has a surplus." The proposal shunts "more money to K-12 schools" but is "otherwise taking a cautionary approach to spending." The AP reports that Brown "wants to spend extra money on schools in economically disadvantaged communities, giving California a new narrative from the multibillion dollar deficits that led to teacher layoffs, IOUs for state workers and deep spending cuts for nearly all government programs just a few years ago." The piece notes that Brown's fellow Democrats "are eager to spend the additional revenue to restore health care programs and social services."