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<P>Below are some relevant articles to EFA.
<P>Justin
<P>
<P>
<P><A
href="http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/513426/schools_over_prisons_student_protests_push_cal_governor_to_act">http://www.thenatio<WBR>n.com/blogs/<WBR>notion/513426/<WBR>schools_over_<WBR>prisons_student_<WBR>protests_<WBR>push_cal_<WBR>governor_<WBR>to_act</A><BR>
<H1 class="main title">Schools Over Prisons: Student Protests Push Cal. Governor
to Act </H1>
<H2 class=by><B>posted by</B> <A
href="http://www.thenation.com/directory/bios/jon_wiener">Jon Wiener</A> <B>on
01/07/2010 @ 3:59pm</B></H2>
<P class=context></P>
<P>Student protests against tuition increases at the 10-campus University of
California system pushed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to announce on Tuesday an
initiative to guarantee that the state spends more on universities than it does
on prisons. </P>
<P>The central role of student protests is not just my theory; it's the
explanation offered by the governor's own chief of staff. "Those protests on the
U.C. campuses were the tipping point" for the governor, Susan Kennedy said in an
interview with the New York <I>Times</I>. </P>
<P>She was referring to the coordinated actions at the start of the fall term,
when 5,000 students and workers, along with many faculty members, rallied at
Berkeley, while 700 gathered at UCLA's Bruin Plaza. Simultaneous protests were
held at Riverside, Irvine, and other campuses. (That story <A
href="http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/477402/u_of_cal_budget_protests_draw_thousands">HERE</A>).
</P>
<P>The university recently announced a 32 per cent increase in student fees for
next year. It has long been held as a beacon of promise for young people,
offering high quality education at relatively low cost. That era, many fear, is
coming to an end. </P>
<P>"The priorities have become out of whack over the years," the governor said
in his final address to state legislators. "I mean, think about it, 30 years
ago, 10 percent of the general fund went to higher education, and 3 percent went
to prisons. Today, almost 11 percent goes to prisons, and only 7.5 percent goes
to higher education." </P>
<P>Schwarzenegger said he was "choosing universities over prisons," calling his
proposal "a historic and transforming realignment of California's priorities."
</P>
<P>The governor's proposal is a constitutional amendment that requires either a
two-thirds vote in the legislature or a majority vote in a referendum. </P>
<P>Given the inability of the legislature to raise taxes, the governor's
proposal in effect calls for cutting the prison budget and shifting those funds
to the university. That pits students and the university against the powerful
prison guards union and law-and-order Republicans in the state. </P>
<P>That will be a battle worth fighting. <BR></P></FONT></DIV>
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<H1>Gov plans deep cuts to programs, and fed help</H1></DIV>
<P class=byline>Wyatt Buchanan,Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau</P>
<P class=date>Saturday, January 9, 2010</P></DIV>
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<P><STRONG>(01-09) 04:00 PST Sacramento</STRONG><SPAN
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<P>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled an $82.9 billion spending plan for
California on Friday that relies on deep cuts in health and human services,
prison spending and wages for state workers, and on billions in additional
federal dollars that the state's U.S. senators indicated are unlikely to be
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<P>The governor declared a fiscal emergency to force the Legislature to start
work quickly to solve the first $6.6 billion of a $20 billion shortfall faced by
the state over the next 18 months. The remainder would be dealt with by June 30,
as part of the regular budget process.</P>
<P>"I know many of these cuts are painful," the Republican governor said.
"Believe me, these are the hardest decisions a government must make, yet there
is simply no conceivable way to avoid more cuts and more pain."</P>
<P>Democrats quickly shot down most of the governor's plan, saying his cuts to
services for poor, sick, disabled and elderly Californians were
unacceptable.</P>
<P>"Many of our poor, elderly and most vulnerable people simply would not
survive this budget," said state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco.</P>
<P>The governor also called for more than $2 billion in cuts to K-12 spending,
despite his pledge two days prior to spare public schools and community colleges
from cuts.</P>
<H3 class=subhead>Initial salvo</H3>
<P>The plan is the first salvo in the Sacramento budgeting process that will
last at least through the summer. Initial proposals typically change
significantly by the time the Legislature passes a budget.</P>
<P>The governor warned that cuts to state services will be even worse if the
federal government refuses to give California $6.9 billion in additional funds
he said the state is rightly owed.</P>
<P>Federal officials, including California Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and
Barbara Boxer, were cool to that idea. Without the extra federal dollars, the
governor said he would completely eliminate the state's welfare-to-work program,
the health insurance program for low-income children, and the in-home health
support program that keeps disabled and sick people in their homes instead of
nursing homes.</P>
<P>State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, reacted
swiftly, saying he supports the push for more federal dollars. As for the rest
of the plan, "You've got to be kidding," he said.</P>
<P>Other lawmakers called it a recycled version of cuts turned down by the
Legislature last year. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista (Los Angeles
County), characterized the proposal as a "pile of denial."</P>
<P>Republicans generally praised the governor's plan. Republican Senate leader
Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta (Riverside County) said, "We all understand
these are tough choices."</P>
<H3 class=subhead>End to furloughs</H3>
<P>As part of his proposal, the governor said he will end employee furloughs,
which have effectively cut state workers' paychecks by 14 percent, but require
public workers to take a 5 percent pay cut and double their retirement
contributions from 5 percent to 10 percent - so that the state can contribute
fewer dollars to the pension fund. Additionally, all department heads will be
charged with reducing their payrolls by another 5 percent, which may include
laying off state workers to achieve that goal.</P>
<P>Without the federal help, Schwarzenegger said he would seek an additional 5
percent pay cut for workers.</P>
<P>Union leaders and advocates for the environment, transportation, health care
and human services reacted angrily to the proposal, saying that plans to cut
health care, social services and workers' pay will harm the state's fragile
economy, despite Schwarzenegger's pledge this week to focus on job and economic
growth.</P>
<P>"After a long and painful recession, California's middle class needs a state
budget that will stimulate the economy and help rebuild California. The
governor's budget proposal fails miserably on both counts," said Bill Lloyd,
president of the Services Employees International Union California, which
represents 700,000 workers.</P>
<P>Schwarzenegger pledged to spare the University of California and California
State University systems, and his proposal actually increases those budgets.</P>
<P>"While this proposed funding would be very welcome, it doesn't solve all of
our problems," said UC spokesman Steve Montiel, who warned that cuts and layoffs
may still be necessary.</P>
<P>Prisons would be cut by $1.2 billion, including reducing by $811 million the
money that goes for prison health care that is overseen by a federal receiver.
The receiver would have to agree to that reduction. Schwarzenegger also proposed
keeping some nonviolent offenders in county jails instead of sending them to
state prisons.</P>
<P>On the revenue side, the governor proposed eliminating the gas tax, which
provides as much as $1 billion a year in transportation funds to counties, and
replacing it with an excise tax that the state would keep. The goal is to
sidestep an October court ruling that found that the state's $3.6 billion raid
on the gas tax fund in recent years was illegal.</P>
<P>He also proposed installing cameras at traffic lights that would
automatically generate tickets for people who speed through intersections, which
is projected to bring nearly $338 million to the state.</P>
<DIV class=infobox>
<H3>Governor's budget proposals</H3>
<P>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger included dozens of proposals in his budget plan
Friday. Here's a look at some of them:</P>
<P>-- A new speed enforcement program would use red-light cameras to fine
drivers speeding through intersections to raise $338 million in new revenue.</P>
<P>-- The state would spend $3.45 billion over 30 years to attract private
companies and investors to become involved in construction and maintenance of
state highways.</P>
<P>-- State law would be changed to lay off or reassign teachers regardless of
seniority and allow schools to reduce the number of instructional days by up to
five through 2012-13.</P>
<P>-- The state would introduce a 4.8 percent surcharge on all residential and
commercial property insurance for fire and other state emergency response. The
surcharge would generate $478 million in 2010-11.</P>
<P>-- The AIDS Drug Assistance Program was largely spared in the governor's
latest proposal. The program will receive $97 million, though the $9.5 million
for the ADAP program in county jails is being cut.</P>
<P>-- UC Hastings College of the Law, which was threatened last year with a near
elimination of state funding, is spared in this proposal.</P></DIV>
<DIV class=infobox>
<H3>Spending plans</H3>
<P>On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a spending plan that included
two components: one to close a $6.6 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year
that ends June 30, and another to close a projected $13.3 billion gap for the
new year that begins on July 1. The following table shows the two plans plus
California's current spending levels, which were signed into law by the governor
in July. The bottom line, under the governor's proposals, is that after the
shortfalls are eliminated, California's general fund spending would drop by $1.6
billion from current levels.</P>
<TABLE>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Agency</TD>
<TD class=b>2009-10 Current spending</TD>
<TD class=b>2009-10 Proposed changes to current spending</TD>
<TD class=b>2010-11 Proposed spending plan for next fiscal year</TD>
<TD class=b>Change from 2009-10 (if revised)</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Legislative, judicial, executive</TD>
<TD class=alt>$1.9 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$1.9 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$2.8 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>55%</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>State and consumer services</TD>
<TD class=b>$569 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$510 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$587 million</TD>
<TD class=b>15</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Business, transportation & housing</TD>
<TD class=alt>$2.6 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$2.7 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$902 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>-66</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Natural resources (includes parks, water and Cal Fire)</TD>
<TD class=b>$1.8 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$1.9 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$1.7 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>-7</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Environmental protection</TD>
<TD class=alt>$73 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>$69 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>$68 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>-1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Health & human services</TD>
<TD class=b>$25 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$25 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$21 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>-16</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Prisons</TD>
<TD class=alt>$8.2 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$8.2 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$8 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>-2</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>K-12 schools and community colleges</TD>
<TD class=b>$35 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$34.5 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$36 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>4</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>University of California and California State University
systems</TD>
<TD class=alt>$10.5 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$10.5 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>$11.8 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>12</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Labor & workforce development</TD>
<TD class=b>$64 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$57 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$59 million</TD>
<TD class=b>4</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Non-agency departments</TD>
<TD class=alt>$535 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>$497 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>$578 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>16</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Local government tax relief</TD>
<TD class=b>$463 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$470 million</TD>
<TD class=b>$534 million</TD>
<TD class=b>14</TD></TR>
<TR class=alt>
<TD class=alt>Statewide expenditures (reflects savings, largely from
changes to state worker pay and benefits)</TD>
<TD class=alt>-$2.2 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>-$202 million</TD>
<TD class=alt>-$1.2 billion</TD>
<TD class=alt>498</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD class=b>Total</TD>
<TD class=b>$84.5 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$86.1 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>$82.9 billion</TD>
<TD class=b>-4%</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P>Source: California Department of Finance</P></DIV>
<P class=dtlcomment>Chronicle staff writer Nanette Asimov contributed to this
report. E-mail the writers at<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="mailto:wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com">wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com</A><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>and<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="mailto:mlagos@sfchronicle.com">mlagos@sfchronicle.com</A>.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR><BR><SPAN>Read
more:<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/08/MN6B1BFI2B.DTL&type=politics#ixzz0c6SEWKQK">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/08/MN6B1BFI2B.DTL&type=politics#ixzz0c6SEWKQK</A></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----------------------------------</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
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class=Apple-style-span>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 20px 0px 0px">U.S. One of Two Countries Where Kids'
Educational Attainment is Lower Than Their Parents'</H2>
<H5 style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 20px">By Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet<BR>Posted on
January 8, 2010, Printed on January 9, 2010<BR><A
href="http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/145033/">http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/145033/</A></H5>
<P></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.aascu.org/media/publications/global_competitiveness.htm">According
to a recent report</A>, Americans aged 25–34 have attained less education than
their parents' generation.</P>
<P>If the data cited by the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities (AASCU) commission report is correct, the United States and Germany
are the<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><EM>only</EM><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>two nations in the world where this
holds true.</P>
<P>Indeed, while the United States ranks second among all nations in the
proportion of population aged 35-64 with a college degree, we rank<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><EM>tenth</EM><SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>in the percentage of those aged 25-34
with an associate's or high school degree.</P>
<P>To make matters worse, there's been a steady decline in American students
pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- while
places like China and India are investing heavily in the infrastructures to
support premier programs in those courses of study.</P>
<P></P>
<P></P>
<P>So while the U.S. presently continues to attract more international students
than anywhere else, more and more of the best and brightest foreign students may
be tempted to stay in their home countries, making it less likely that they'll
bring their technical expertise to the United States' workforce.</P>
<P>The report doesn't really try to guess why this lower educational attainment
and lowering interest in science, math, and engineering degrees have come about,
but does note that tuition has increased at a pace that may make an education a
non-option for many. Indeed, between 1958 and 2001, tuition increased at
about<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.finaid.org/savings/tuition-inflation.phtml">double the
rate</A><SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>as inflation.</P>
<P>I hope my future kids get full rides somewhere.</P>
<P></P>
<P><I>Daniela Perdomo is a contributing writer and editor at AlterNet. You can
follow her on<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN><A
href="http://twitter.com/danielaperdomo">Twitter</A>.</I></P>
<H5 style="MARGIN: 30px 0px 20px">© 2010 Independent Media Institute. All rights
reserved.<BR>View this story online at: <A
href="http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/145033/">http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/145033/</A></H5>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 30px 0px 20px"><FONT size=2
face=Arial>-----------------------------------------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 30px 0px 20px">
<P><A
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools6-2010jan06,0,2797320.story">http://www.latimes.<WBR>com/news/<WBR>local/la-<WBR>me-schools6-<WBR>2010jan06,<WBR>0,2797320.<WBR>story</A><BR><BR>
<H1>Assembly OKs bills to change California schools</H1>
<H2 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Parents would be given more power to transfer
children out of poorly performing campuses and petition for changes, including
removal of the principal. Teachers unions oppose the provisions.</H2>
<DIV id=story-body class="articlebody ">
<DIV class=articlerail>
<DIV class="articleRelates module">
<UL></UL></DIV>
<DIV class=byline><SPAN class=byline>By Patrick McGreevy and Howard Blume</SPAN>
<P class=date><SPAN class=dateString>January 5, 2010</SPAN><SPAN
class=dateTimeSeparator> | </SPAN><SPAN class=timeString>10:51
p.m.</SPAN></P></DIV></DIV><SPAN class=toolSet></SPAN><BR>
<DIV id=story-body-text>Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento - Despite
strong objections from teachers unions, the state Assembly on Tuesday night
approved changes to California schools that would give parents more power to
transfer their children from badly performing campuses and petition for fixes
that could include removing principals.<BR><BR>The changes are intended to help
California win a share of $4.3 billion in new federal funds that will be
available through the Race to the Top program. The Obama administration is using
the promise of that money to push states into adopting education reforms the
president and his aides favor.<BR><BR>The legislation will signal to President
Obama "that California is ready to experiment with promising reforms," said UC
Berkeley education professor Bruce Fuller, although he added that the
legislation does not go far enough.<BR><BR>The measures target for improvement
the lowest-performing schools in the state, as judged through student
performance on standardized tests. They would give parents more say in how their
schools are run.<BR><BR>The bills would require districts to take aggressive
steps to turn around failing campuses. Those steps could include firing the
principal and the staff; reopening the school as a charter; or closing the
school and moving students to higher-performing campuses.<BR><BR>Students in the
1,000 lowest-performing schools in the state could transfer to better schools,
even across district lines. The legislation would also allow districts to link
teacher evaluations to student performance, if local collective bargaining
agreements concurred. The L.A. teachers union has opposed such links.<BR><BR>And
in 75 failing schools, districts would be required to revamp campuses in
response to parent petitions. Currently, most districts are not required to act
on parent complaints.<BR><BR>"For too long we in Sacramento have looked the
other way when it comes to students in California who have languished in
persistently underperforming schools," said Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles),
an author of the legislation. "Parents are the strongest agents of
change."<BR><BR>The Senate, which previously supported similar proposals, is
scheduled to take action today.<BR><BR>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has made
the legislation a top priority, signaled that he would probably sign the two
education reform bills if they pass the Senate as written.<BR><BR>"Today we have
come together to pass sweeping education reforms to better our children's
education, provide more choice for parents and make sure California is highly
competitive for hundreds of millions in federal dollars for our schools,"
Schwarzenegger said.<BR><BR>The governor has championed the open-enrollment and
parent-petition proposals. Those elements once again pit him against old
political foes, including the California Teachers Assn., which said the measures
would "drain resources from classrooms and punish lower-performing
schools."<BR><BR>Backers said the legislation was urgently needed because of the
looming Jan. 19 federal deadline and the provision that money would be doled out
based on how much the states have done to improve school
performance.<BR><BR>Earlier Tuesday, the Los Angeles Board of Education approved
a measure that commits the district to abide by the changes. More than half of
the school districts in the state also have agreed to make the necessary
reforms, state Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said.<BR><BR>"Clearly
we need the money, but more than that our kids need a better school district and
a better education," said L.A. school board member Yolie Flores
Aguilar.<BR><BR>One provision of the measures allows parents at poor-performing
schools to force changes in school operations. If at least 50% of the parents at
a school sign a petition, the school board must choose one of a handful of
options, including closing the campus, converting it to a charter or replacing
the principal and other administrators.<BR><BR>As a compromise, supporters of
the measure agreed to limit the number of schools at which parent petitions
would force action to 75.<BR><BR>That petition proposal was born of battles
within the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has adopted a similar but
more limited concept.<BR><BR>Ben Austin, executive director of the
foundation-funded parent organizing effort Parent Revolution, hailed the
Assembly action.<BR><BR>"It's an entirely new way of thinking about public
education. It's about giving parents real power to advocate for their children,"
said Austin, whose group has close ties to Green Dot Public Schools, a charter
school management organization based in Southern California. Charters are public
schools that operate independently of many district rules and are mostly
nonunion.<BR><BR>SB 5X 4 would give parents in 1,000 of the worst-performing
schools in the state more power to transfer their children to better campuses in
the same or other districts.<BR><BR>The open-enrollment provision enlarges a
practice that already is common within school districts, including L.A. Unified,
the state's largest school system.<BR><BR>The measure passed by one vote, 41 to
27; Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles) provided the winning margin after he
was surrounded by Democratic leaders urging him to support the
measure.<BR><BR>Jeff Freitas, an advocate for the California Federation of
Teachers, said the measures would divide parents and teachers at schools. While
some students could transfer to other campuses, Freitas said, "you are leaving
students behind with no reform for that school."<BR><BR>California Teachers
Assn. representative Patricia A. Rucker accused lawmakers of being blinded by
the promise of onetime federal funding.<BR><BR>"If it was not for the money that
you are chasing in this onetime application, would you have seriously considered
taking such an expeditious, such a short-circuited and ill-considered approach?"
Rucker asked the Assembly Education Committee.<BR><BR>Responded Senate President
Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento)<WBR>: "We are not in a position to turn
our backs on the potential of $700 million to help kids in high-poverty
schools."<BR><BR>The other bill, SB 5X 1, identifies poor-performing schools and
requires them to pursue improvements, develop new curriculum to better prepare
students for college or jobs and improve use of student performance data to
evaluate teachers and principals.<BR><BR>The two most controversial provisions
also were opposed by the California School Boards Assn. Erika Hoffman, an
association advocate, urged lawmakers to drop the open enrollment and parental
petitioning provisions, saying that they "aren't necessary" to win federal
funds.<BR><BR>Lawmakers who voted against the measures worried that the changes
would create chaos as students abandoned poor-performing schools in droves and
flooded better school districts that might have trouble accommodating
them.<BR><BR>The open enrollment proposal was opposed by Assembly Education
Committee Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), who said the 1,000 schools
affected may not necessarily be the worst-performing, which could result in a
widening of the achievement gap that would hurt poor and minority
students.<BR><BR>"I am still very concerned about what I believe might be
potential unintended consequences," Brownley
said.<BR><BR>patrick.mcgreevy<BR><BR>@<A
href="http://latimes.com/">latimes.com</A></DIV></DIV></DIV></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>