Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Teachers Association have reached an agreement that would protect school funding and press pause on a rising feud between state officials and educators., he proposed a maneuver that would impact Proposition 98, the 1988 voter-approved, constitutional mandate that guarantees minimum funding for California TK-12 schools and community colleges.
But because each year’s Prop 98 funding guarantee is calculated through a complex formula that builds on prior years to determine how much money to allocate to schools each year, any change could reduce school funding for years to come. CTA said Newsom’s plan would have lowered the money guaranteed to schools by nearly $12 billion over two years and even more in the long-term.
Now, the union and Newsom have called a truce and reached a deal to avoid significant cuts and briefly stabilize school funding. The proposed agreement would lower the amount the state said it overpaid schools from $8.8 billion to $6.2 billion. While the state would still consider that $6.2 billion as already paid to schools, the money would remain under Prop 98 — meaning it wouldn’t lower future years’ funding amounts.
The California Teachers Association said that while the union wants California to fully fund schools, given the state’s difficult budget deficit, Newsom’s new plan is the “best alternative.”