District following suit asking state for fair funds
Following the direction of the California School Boards Association, the Sulphur Springs Union School District Governing Board is expected to adopt a resolution today asking for the full and fair funding of California’s public schools.
The resolution asks the California legislature to raise school funding to the national average by 2020 and to the average of the top 10 states by 2025.
It follows similar resolutions approved by the Newhall School District Governing Board, the Castaic Union School District Governing Board, the Saugus Union School District Governing Board and the William S. Hart Union High School District Governing Board.
“It’s something that was recommended by CSBA,” Sulphur Springs Board President Ken Chase said. “It is pressure that not only on our district, but all districts around the state are facing, especially with the STRs and PERs retirement plans (for staff and teachers).”
Chase said these increasing retirement plan costs put a strain on all school district’s budgets, especially in three to four years from now.
In 2016, CSBA updated its “Getting Down to the Facts” data and determined that California public school’s require an additional $22 billion to $40 billion annually, adjusted for inflation, to provide all public school students with access to a high-quality education.
It also found that California funds all schools at roughly $1,961 per student less than the national average and trails the average of the top 10 states by almost $7,000 in per-pupil funding.
With an average daily attendance of 5,206 in 201516, the Sulphur Springs district received $10,784 in per-pupil funding from local, state and federal resources. During the same school year, the national average for per-pupil funding was $12,252.
If the state does adjust its school funding, Chase said the additional money will allow the district to support more ongoing programs and enrichment programs.
“It will really allow us, right now, to maintain dayto-day operations, focus on our foster youth, English Language Learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students,” Chase said. “Right now, the STRs and PERs will eat our resources away to do that.”
The board is also scheduled to review an updated board policy and discuss plans to honor 52 district students who earned perfect scores on the 2017 Smarter Balanced Assessment test.