California to revamp school spending options.California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] is making waves and most recently has approved legislation that will revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. the way schools spend their money. The hope is that the new law, signed by Schwarzenegger in late September, will shift school funding control from state officials to local educators. The new bill will consolidate 26 existing categorical That which is unqualified or unconditional. A categorical imperative is a rule, command, or moral obligation that is absolutely and universally binding. Categorical is also used to describe programs limited to or designed for certain classes of people. programs--budgetary dispersements used for specific items--worth $1.8 billion into six block grants. Schwarzenegger had initially intended for wider reaching reform, but the bill was watered down when it reached the state legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: "We must give local schools the power to meet the specific needs of their own communities. By consolidating these categoricals, we are reducing the bureaucratic bu·reau·crat n. 1. An official of a bureaucracy. 2. An official who is rigidly devoted to the details of administrative procedure. bu red tape in Sacramento and empowering local communities to meet the specific needs of their students," Schwarzenegger states in a press release. Rick Miller, a spokesman for the California Department of Education The California Department of Education is a California agency that oversees public education. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. , says many of the categoricals were created up to 20 years ago to combat problems that don't have the same relevancy today. "It will reduce state and local bureaucracy and provide meaningful flexibility for our local school leaders to target education spending to best meet the needs of our students," says Education Secretary Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. in a release. This reform is not expected to be the only major change in the way California's schools are funded. The major topic for debate, Miller says, is equitable funding versus adequate funding. Right now, schools are funded more or less equally. However, some students have distinctive needs that require more funding to remedy. "We are teaching 25 percent of our kids English. It takes more money to do that," for example, Miller says. State education officials have met to discuss these and other issues. "The governor has spoken of a desire to see more changes," Miller says. Additional California Education Grants In addition to establishing the new block grants, Schwarzenegger also signed bills: * establishing minimum thresholds regarding school facilities * establishing teacher quality and instructional materials * providing up to $800 million to address emergency repair projects * ensuring placement of qualified teachers in low performing schools. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion