Adequate funding: a matter of political will: County superintendents in Santa Clara have come together to brainstorm the efforts needed to move forward on the adequate school funding agenda.

Adequate school funding: What does it look like? How do we get to it? Who pays for it? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered so that California schools can do the job the public demands and expects. As educators, we certainly share those same expectations and will hold ourselves directly accountable for the end result, but will somebody please provide the financial resources needed to get there?

Last year, the Santa Clara County Superintendents Association met early in the fall to identify our focus of efforts for the 2004-05 school year. Our discussion centered on what was most important for us to spend our time on during the school year. The discussion soon led to a natural focal point: that of securing adequate school funding for us to do our jobs. We reviewed the successes in other states where this issue has been debated and either legislated or adjudicated.

What was clear to all of us was that rather than scatter our limited resources (and human energy), we should begin to create the dialog to put this into the forefront of our activities.

A small sub-group met and invited ACSA staff and Stanford Professor Michael Kirst, director of Policy Analysis for California Education, to begin the dialog on the subject of adequate school funding and to brainstorm what efforts would be needed to move this agenda forward.

Holding the state accountable

It was disappointing to sit at the table knowing that the governor, for all intents and purposes, blew off the Quality Education Commission, which had as part of its mission the task of providing recommendations in the area of adequate school funding. (Anyone remember the California Master Plan for Education?)

There is certainly no argument out there about the differential costs for educating a regular education student, a GATE student, an ELL student, a Title I student and a special education student. In fact these costs can certainly be quantified and averaged out across the state. So what's keeping us from completing the task?

Political will, plain and simple. Knowing what these costs could be forces the state to allocate fiscal resources for schools and districts to accomplish and be held accountable for the education of all of its children.

Coming to the same solution

We know that a prominent coalition of public education advocates for adequate school funding has sued the state (as has been done successfully in other states) to mandate adequate school funding.

We know that the governor has created an Advisory Committee on Education Excellence charged with recommending steps to improve the performance of public schools.

We know that State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell has convened the Superintendent's California P-16 Council to develop strategies for improving student performance, closing the achievement gap and creating a more comprehensive, seamless education system from preschool through higher education.

It is the hope of many educators and those who care dearly about public education that both the governor's committee and the superintendent's council will come to the same conclusions and ultimately the same solution--to adequately fund public education.

Demands of providing world-class standards

Until we can get to adequate school funding, the demands of providing world-class standards to every California child remain elusive. Take a look around us: deep budget cuts affecting programs like athletics, libraries and performing arts; school closures; staff layoffs; labor strife. Is this any way to provide for our future Californians?

Let's ask the hard questions, look closely at the answers, and put California public schools back on the track to success for all children. There really is no option!

Phil Quon is superintendent of the Union Elementary School District in San Jose and a member of A CSA's Superintendency Council.