County education officials support extension of Prop. 30

Merced County education officials say they would support a state-level initiative to extend the income tax-based portion of Proposition 30 to continue funding schools.

Championed by Gov. Jerry Brown, Proposition 30 was approved by voters in 2012 as a sales- and income-tax measure with a portion of the revenue put into a protected account for education. The taxes are scheduled to expire in 2018 but a coalition of education, labor and other groups have filed an initiative for the 2016 ballot that would extend the tax on the state’s wealthiest residents while allowing the sales tax provision to expire.

The initiative, dubbed “School Funding and Budget Stability Act,” would generate an estimated $7 billion to $9 billion a year and run through 2030. Coalition members include the California Teachers Association, other educational and labor groups, and health care and police unions.

Without a continuation of Proposition 30 funds, schools would have to cut budgets and would be hard-pressed to meet requirements set by the Common Core State Standards, said Steven Gomes, Merced County superintendent of schools.

“In 2018 ... if the California economy is down again, we’re going to be in a position where we’re once again tightening the belt and looking at things we can’t do because of lack of resources,” Gomes said. “We’ve got to have the resources to provide training to teachers.”

School districts across Merced County are expecting a total of $75 million generated from Proposition 30, said Janet Riley, the assistant superintendent for business services at the Merced County Office of Education. That number translates to $1,340 per student in Merced County’s 20 districts.

Under the governor’s Local Control Funding Formula, schools receive money from local property taxes, money generated by Proposition 30 and additional money from the state.

“Prop. 30 gives us guaranteed dollars coming in,” Riley said. “If the initiative goes away, we may not be guaranteed that piece.”

Proposition 30 was passed after the recession and prevented Merced County districts from making additional budget cuts, she said. Money generated by Proposition 30 is used for classroom expenditures, such as salaries, educational materials and facilities.

Gomes said that while he supports extending Prop. 30, he believes schools need a more dependable funding source.

“I wish we could look at something else that would provide us with a more consistent level of funding,” he said.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 6:31 PM with the headline "County education officials support extension of Prop. 30."