Like schools around the state, Sacramento public schools continue to suffer from the impact of budget cuts and must get more funding to provide our students with the quality education they deserve, local Education Coalition stakeholders stressed in a news conference here today. Speakers explained how California’s K-12 schools have been decimated by more than $18 billion in cuts in the last three years alone, and how this affects a generation of students. They discussed the new California Budget Project report ranking the state 46th in both per-pupil spending and the number of students per administrator (301), and worst in the U.S., in the number of students per teacher (20.5) and per scho

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 18, 2011 Contact: Dina Martin, CTA 650-552-5491 415-710-6794 (cell) dmartin@cta.org Sacramento Teachers, Parents, School Leaders to Highlight Continuing Impact of Budget Cuts on Education Wednesday, 10 a.m. at Washington School SACRAMENTO – Along with the enthusiasm and promise of a new school year, California continues to faces serious challenges to delivering a quality public education after year upon year of budget cuts to our schools – and it is true for schools in Sacramento as well. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, teachers, school and district officials and parents from the Sacramento area will call attention to the impact of these cuts and the need to prevent t

There is a lot of talk about changes to redevelopment agencies in the state and the impact those changes will have on development projects in Sacramento. To get a better idea of how redevelopment agencies work from a fiscal point of view, Sacramento Press has put together a “redevelopment primer” to make it easier to understand where the money comes from, where it goes and how the city benefits from redevelopment funding – and how it doesn’t. “It all starts with property taxes, guaranteed school funding from Proposition 98, and state redevelopment law,” said Peter Detwiler, a consultant with the state Senate Governance & Finance Committee. FIRST, WHAT IS A REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY? Cities a

The new California state budget reduced spending by $15 billion and potentially includes an additional $2.5 billion in cuts – but it’s not all bad news for Sacramento. Some of the impacts of the state budget on Sacramento were outlined at the City Council meeting Tuesday, most notably problems stemming from changes to redevelopment, realignment and motor vehicle license fees. “The best thing I can say is that it was an on-time budget,” said David Jones, lobbyist for the city of Sacramento. The budget was balanced using $4 billion in projected revenue increases, Jones said, and about 40 percent of that is “just hopeful thinking and subject to litigation or challenges.” That’s good news

The future of development and affordable housing projects in Sacramento is starting to look pretty grim. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state budget into law June 29, putting two new bills into effect that significantly impact redevelopment agencies: ABx26 and ABx27. “There is no good news in any of this,” said La Shelle Dozier, executive director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). “It’s very detrimental, given the fact that we have an economy that’s struggling.” The two bills go hand-in-hand. ABx26 says redevelopment agencies can opt to discontinue redevelopment activities and be dissolved. ABx27 says that if redevelopment agencies pay a first-year lump sum paymen

A state budget that makes $25 billion in cuts will drastically impact the Sacramento region—especially the $9.6 billion education industry in six counties. “The education industry is critical to our region’s economic prosperity,” said Matthew Mahood, Sacramento Metro Chamber president & CEO. “Not only for the work the sector does to educate our residents—but also for the huge injection of dollars into the region. Education institutions employ thousands of people who make consumer purchases throughout the region.” A newly released Education Industry Cluster Economic Impact Report, commissioned by the Metro Chamber, analyzes everything from elementary schools and universities to private te

Governor Elect Jerry Brown hosted a state budget forum at Memorial Auditorium Wednesday morning. Over 1200 state and local government officials were invited to the invitation-only event. About 200 attended. Joining Brown on the stage for the panel-style presentation were newly re-appointed Finance Director Ana Matosantos, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, State Controller John Chiang, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker John A. Perez and Assembly GOP leader Connie Conway. Senate GOP leader Bob Dutton did not take his place on the stage but was spotted in the audience. Jerry Brown opened the meeting by saying the budget problem "goes ba

Close to 60 people converged on a home in the River Park neighborhood of East Sacramento Tuesday evening to mourn the reductions in the public education budget in the Sacramento area and to discuss what can be done to prevent further cuts. Educators, students, parents, political figures and concerned members of the public were all in attendance to listen to speakers, hear poetry and voice their concerns and opinions on the state of education in the community. The wake was hosted by Jim Harper, a teacher of American government and history at Laguna Creek High School and an occasional instructor at California State University, Sacramento. Harper has been teaching for 23 years and was invol

The Sacramento-based California Redevelopment Association is preparing to sue the state over a "devastating" $2.05 billion in redevelopment funds that state leaders want to be redirected to schools. On Friday, the California State Legislature passed a budget that includes a provision ordering city and county redevelopment agencies to transfer $1.7 billion in property tax revenues in fiscal year 2009/10 and $350 million in 2010/11, said state Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor. The budget was crafted to close a $24 billion to $26 billion hole in the state's finances. The order would siphon at least $20 million away from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, a joint powers authority

It seems everyone is talking about it. Sacramento still has no budget, and the cost of inaction alone is steadily approaching half a billion dollars. It's big news, with blame being cast on both sides. In a prime example of the definition of partisanship, our elected leaders can't seem to make up their minds. Granted, the decisions to be made are tough - stemming from a stagnant economy. But this in of itself isn't the big picture. It doesn't even address the crux of the issue. The entire argument and subsequent cost seems to entirely overlook the Elephant in the Room. When I think about what goes on behind closed doors in the Capitol, I picture a frenzy of men and women in suits, fighti

When you take a job, how much does your salary factor into the reason you accept?   While watching the morning news on New Year's Eve, my eyes widened to see the letters "IOU" go across the screen. According to the State Controller, John Chiang, legislators may soon be seeing IOUs instead of paychecks. This could happen as early as Feb. 1 due to the state's budget problems. If you were to begin receiving IOUs from your employer, how would you feel? Would you continue to work? Do you think this is a fair way for the state to allocate its money and alleviate further debt? Do you think that legislators are doing a service for the state and therefore should be the first ones impacted by t