Gov. Brown reinstates funding for California FFA, career programs

GALT — Potential cuts to the Future Farmers of America program and other Career Technical Education programs have been avoided after Gov. Jerry Brown reinstated the funding late last week.

Not only did educators and teachers’ associations speak out against the cuts, students, parents and other stakeholders took to Facebook and other social platforms to decry the potential cuts.

For now, the future of California’s FFA program is no longer in jeopardy.

Jim Aschwanden, executive director of the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association, said the loss of these components of Career Technical Education would have had a devastating effect on programs and teachers statewide.

“CTE programs remain vitally important to the economic well-being of our state, and this proposal eliminates highly effective programs that have proven their worth over time,” he said in a press release prior to the most recent announcement.

Assemblyman Heath Flora, R-Ripon, was among those who joined with members of the state Legislature last week to urge the Assembly Budget Committee to reject the budget proposal.

“The Central Valley depends on programs like the FFA to help develop the next generation of leaders,” Flora said in a prepared statement. “Losing funding would be a disservice to our students’ development and career opportunities, especially in agriculture.”

California is the largest agriculture producer and exporter in the United States, generating nearly $50 billion a year. CTE and student organizations offer leadership development and training for almost 75,000 California students and are key entryways into the local labor market.

In his 2017-18 state budget, Brown had proposed the complete elimination of this funding. Also included in these cuts were the elimination of Partnership Academy Programs, the University of California Curriculum Institute for recognizing CTE courses for admission purposes, and Professional Development Activities for CTE instructors.

These programs have been funded by CTE Pathway monies that were provided to the California Department of Education for supporting statewide Career Technical Education activities and programs.

The governor’s proposal for this year would have eliminated this source of funds, directing them instead to the Community College Chancellor’s Office to supplement other workforce development funds already in existence, according to a press release issued by the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association.

However, after using one-time funding to support these programs in the current year, ongoing funding for these programs will be in place for next school year and beyond, said Karen Ross, secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture.