News
View current California State PTA legislative positions.
Capistrano Unified Council Parent Teacher Student Association will tell you what is happening at the district level and above for our students.
California's Legislative Analyst's Office
CUCPSTA Legislation Newsletter- September 2010
CUCPTSA Legislation Brief – September 2010
LOCAL
CUSD Budget: The Trustees passed a budget for the 2010/2011 school year on reflecting reductions of $34 million. Furloughs and salary concessions equaling 10% for CUEA, Teamsters, and CUMA accounted for $22 million in savings to the district. Negotiations are still ongoing with CSEA. The district has also made cuts through faculty and staff lay-offs, program reductions, and temporarily reducing reserves (2% to 0.17%). For the 2011/2012 school year, it is anticipated that CUSD will have to make cuts of approximately $11.5 million, and then an additional $6 million in cuts for the 2012/2013 school year.
CUSD Issues on the November 2 Ballot: Five
trustee positions will be determined: Areas 3 and 5 (recall elections) and Areas
4, 6, and 7 (terms expired). Measure “H” proposes to change the manner in which
members of the Board of Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District are
elected. CUSD is divided into seven geographical regions or “trustee areas.”
Currently, each governing board member must reside in the trustee area that he
or she represents, but is elected by all voters living within the entire district.
- Voting “Yes” on Measure H will result in a change in the way the Board of Trustees is elected currently “from trustee area” to a “by trustee area”. Only those voters residing within a trustee area will elect the trustee for that particular trustee area. If Measure H passes it will take effect in the November 2012 CUSD Board of Trustee election.
- Voting “No” on Measure H will not change the current method of electing members of the Board of Trustees. Each governing board member will continue to be elected by the voters of the entire school district.
STATE
Budget Update: On August 3, Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg
and Assembly Speaker John Perez announced a new Democratic budget proposal that
was adopted later that week. Republican legislators and the Governor have reacted
negatively to the proposal and there appears to be no progress in reaching a
deal anytime soon.
November 2, 2010 Election Information: On November 2,
voters will elect a new Governor, representatives
for U.S. and state government, judges for State
Supreme Court, and vote on “propositions”.
State PTA has taken positions on three of the propositions.
Proposition
25 – SUPPORT. This would
change the legislative vote requirement necessary to pass the state budget from
the current two-thirds to a simple majority.
Proposition 24 – SUPPORT. This
would repeal recent changes to business taxes, which have yet to take effect.
Proposition
19 – NEUTRAL. The legalization and regulation
of marijuana.
SB 1381 (Simitian) – Kindergarten: Age of Admission:Existing
law allows a child to enter kindergarten if his/her 5th birthday is on or before
December 2 of the school year. SB 1381 would change the required 5th birthday
for kindergarten admission and 6th birthday for first grade admission to November
1 for 2012-13, October 1 for 2013-14, and September 1 for the 2014-15 school
year and each school year thereafter.
FEDERAL
Education Jobs Fund: In August, Congress passed the $10 billion Education Jobs Fund, which will assist school districts facing steep budget cuts for the 2010-2011school year. California was the first state to apply to receive their share of funds ($1.2 billion). CUSD is expected to receive 90% of its allotment this fall ($8.63 million).
Common Core Standards Update: California’s existing
English and Math standards were created in 1997. The State Board of Education
(SBE) unanimously approved the new “Common Core State Standards” on Aug. 2nd.
The SBE must now present a plan and schedule for implementing this standard to
the Governor and legislature. The big debate over adopting the Common Core
Standards was over when students should be proficient in Algebra 1. In California
it is 8th grade but the new standard is 9th. A modification of this portion
of the standards could allow multiple paths for eighth-graders, such as a one-year
algebra course, a two-year course or an algebra-readiness curriculum to prepare
students to take algebra in ninth grade.