December 4, 2015
It has been an exciting few months as Chair of the organization. All of the energy and excitement surrounding qualifying the State School Bond Initiative for the November 7, 2016, general election ballot, and now transitioning to campaigning, has reminded me that C.A.S.H. has the strength of our members to make the bond measure succeed. Continue reading
July 1, 2015
Facility Planners Meeting
State School Bond Efforts
Efforts in the Legislature
Efforts on a state school bond have taken a backseat to other priorities in the Legislature, which does not need to act until next year to place a bond on the November 2016 ballot.
Only one of the three main bond bill vehicles met recent legislative deadlines to make it out of Appropriations Committee and to the floor. SB 114 (Liu) was passed out of Senate Appropriations Committee without the addition of a specific dollar amount; however this bill Continue reading
06/25/15
On Wednesday, June 24, 2015, the Governor signed the 2015-16 Budget Act and accompanying trailer bills to implement the budget with very little fanfare. A negotiated deal between legislative leadership and the Governor was announced last Tuesday, June 16, one day after the Legislature approved its initial budget package. The Legislature passed modifications to the first budget bill and most of the accompanying trailer bills on Friday, June 19. The main budget bills are AB 93 and SB 97, and education trailer bills include AB 104, the K-12 omnibus bill, and SB 78, which makes mainly technical adjustments to the Local Control Funding Formula. Continue reading
06/19/15
On Tuesday, June 16, the Governor and Legislature reached an agreement to finalize the State Budget and on Friday, June 19, the Legislature approved trailer bill AB 104, to enact key education portions of the budget. This agreement does not make any significant changes to the funding amounts for facilities items that we reported to you on Monday, June 15. Continue reading
06/15/15
Today the Legislature passed the FY 2015-16 Budget Act and a handful of accompanying trailer bills in order to meet the June 15 constitutional deadline. Negotiations continue between the Governor and the Legislature to finalize a deal on the budget. Today, the Legislature voted to approve the main budget bill, AB 93, as well as four trailer bills to implement various provisions of the budget. Further action will be required for the Legislature to approve additional budget legislation, including the education trailer bill. Continue reading
05/28/15
Initiative Signature Gathering on Track, Preparing for State Water Restrictions and Legislation
In last month’s Message from the Chair, I focused on two critical issues for the school facilities community: C.A.S.H.’s Californians for Quality Schools (CQS) State School Bond Initiative, and the Governor’s Executive Order B-29-15 regarding mandatory state water restrictions. In this month’s Message, I will update you on both of these key issues, as well as provide information about the Governor’s May Revision Budget and the status of school bond legislation. Continue reading
05/22/15
Under existing law, school districts that participate in New Construction and Modernization programs are required to set aside at least 3% of their annual general fund budget for routine maintenance, for 20 years after receiving state funds. Under Budget Flexibility commencing in 2008-09, this requirement was suspended, but is set to return in 2015-16. Predictably, the result was that school maintenance budgets were the first to be cut and the last to be restored, if they have been restored at all. The Governor’s 2015-16 January State Budget and Proposed May Revision both include the return of the RRMA contribution in 2015-16. Continue reading
February 19, 2015
On Wednesday, February 18th the Senate Education and Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 on Education held a joint informational hearing on school facilities.
The hearing began with Bruce Hancock, former Assistant Executive Officer of the State Allocation Board, and Bill Savidge, the current Assistant Executive Officer of the State Allocation Board, providing a history of the School Facility Program (SFP) and discussion of current needs to establish a context for discussion.
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February 10, 2015
“What Role, if Any, Should the State Play in the Future of School Facilities?”
~~Governor Edmund G. Brown
In my previous Special Message from the Chair, I announced that C.A.S.H. formed the Californians for Quality Schools (CQS) committee, and filed a ballot initiative with the State’s Attorney General’s Office to place a $9 billion K-14 school bond on the November 2016 ballot. C.A.S.H. continues to vigorously pursue this pathway to maintain the successful state and local partnership that has allowed schools to meet their new construction and modernization needs since 1998. As you will recall, the Governor’s 2015-16 State Budget proposes a significantly reduced state role in school facilities, and does not include a state bond or state funding for the current pipeline.
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January 15, 2015
Jim Murdoch, one of the original founders of C.A.S.H., was fond of quoting the late Senator Leroy F. Greene: “Buildings can’t speak for themselves…so we must speak for them.” The Coalition for Adequate School Housing was formed in 1978 in the wake of Proposition 13 to advocate and provide a voice for adequate school facilities for all of California’s public school students. C.A.S.H. has been a strong advocate for school facility funding, and has supported every statewide school facility bond initiative since 1982. C.A.S.H.’s school district membership represents 93% of California’s students, as well as a diverse private sector membership, and has been the “voice” for school facilities in California for the past 37 years.
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