Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education

[Roll Call]

Everybody is here and we have a quorum. Today is our 9th and final Subcommitee hearing on education issues for 2024. Since February, this Subcommitee held extensive discussions on all issues across pre K through 12 and higher education.

And after historic and unprecedented levels of funding for education on all levels, we've had to pivot and face difficult decisions that are required in the context of a very serious budget shortfall. In a moment, we will take up vote only calendars for part a, which is pre-K through 12, and part B on higher education.

The agenda reflects a legislative budget agreement between the Senate and the Assembly, which is a responsible plan that protects against some of the more harmful cuts that were recommended to core programs. And we did that after taking much stakeholder feedback in this process.

And we appreciate what people said and were helpful as we went into depth on each of these issues. So let me just very briefly summarize some of the top points of what is in the budget we will consider and in my view, hope to approve today. The legislative budget increases Proposition 98 overall by $1.9 billion.

It would be a total increase of $1 billion, or 1.07% COLA, for the Local Control Funding Formula that goes to school districts, charters and county offices of education. This would Fund an increase of $318 million to fully meet our obligations to Fund universal school meals.

It leaves a balance in Proposition 98 Reserve after the 2024-25 year in higher education.

It would give UC and CSU a base increase for 2024-25 a net increase to each system by funding the 2024-25, 5% base increases for UC and CSU, forgoing the deferral that had been in the early action agreement and proposed by the Governor earlier this year. And it also would not cut key institutes.

We would reject cuts to the UC labor centers and UCLA Latino policy and Politics Institute on financial aid. It would restore full funding for the middle class scholarship program. It would implement a modified Cal grant reform which will benefit lower income students.

It would provide $20 million in Proposition 98 General Fund one time to assist community college financial aid offices with the expected delays due to the FAFSA situation and on community colleges, the Legislature's plan keeps community college funding intact and makes no cuts.

So community colleges will receive a COLA for a and categorical programs and process wise, today we have established a quorum. We're going to have public comment. We'll see if there's any final comments from Subcommitee Members and then we will go to the vote only calendar on items that are in front of us.

Let me and if you're listening in the hallway and you intend to do public comment, come in right now because I am going to do just a brief show of hands of who wishes to speak in public comment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So then I'm going to limit the public comment to those six people.

I'm going to allow up to 1 minute each. I'm going to let everybody know that they can. Do you want to speak in public comment? Okay, I just took a poll and you weren't in it, so I'll change it to seven. So I'll allow seven people up to 1 minute each.

And you can contact the Budget Committee through the webpage or by letter to revise and extend your comments. Or if you're listening and you wish to have comments and you didn't do it.

So we were going to go to public comment now and if those seven would line up, I'm going to allow up to 1 minute each on the items that are here today. Somehow when I asked for hands, five of you, Oh, unless you're leaving, five of you didn't raise your hands.

When I asked for who was going to speak in public comment, that was not helpful. So I'll just see how this goes because we're trying to move this meeting. But go up to one meeting and it'll be a year before we have other meetings.

But just remember when I asked you to raise your hand, I actually meant would you raise your hand? So I know that's the point. A bunch of people sat there and were intending to do it without telling us. So go right ahead. Welcome to the Committee.

Thank you Mister Chair and Members. Jean Hurst here today on behalf of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the Urban Counties of California and the Rural County Representatives of California, we want to express our appreciation to the Committee for rejecting the administration's proposal on excess ERAF and charter schools and appreciate your willingness to continue to work with us and talk with us about this important issue. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Hi, Katie Hardeman with the California Teachers Association. Just wanted to express our support for the administration's alternative Prop 98 agreement. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good morning Mister Chairman and Members Christina DeCara representing the California Library Association. We recognize these are very, very difficult times. We want to thank you for fighting to save what you could of the lunch at the library program. This is the program feeding children and teens during the summer months at the library.

We know that there will be some libraries who will have to drop out of this program due to these cuts, and we hope that when the economy improves, we can look at restoring the lunch program on the California Library Services act reduction. You heard from many library supporters on this item. It's very important to their library patrons.

They're deeply concerned about the cut here because it will impact access to library collections for everybody in the state. Again, we look forward to working with you in the coming months and years in terms of trying to rebuild this program as well. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Priscilla Quiroz here on behalf of Advance Energy United, we just want to highlight the importance of fully funding zero emission school buses by approving the governor's may revision proposal in that area. As you know, California has one of the oldest school bus fleets in the nation, old internal combustion engine school buses, the air and endanger children's health.

Many school districts are deciding which buses to purchase today, and each school bus can be on the road for over 15 years. Disadvantaged districts with tight budgets need support to be able to afford clean buses. So we must ensure that the necessary funding this year so that they're not struck with polluting buses for the next 15 years.

We respectfully request that you approve the governor's May revision and proposal and fully Fund zero emissions school buses. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good morning. Heather Calomese from Ed voice regarding item number 17, the professional development for educators of universal to administrate universal screening beginning in 25-26. We appreciate the Committee's commitment to ensuring that teachers have the tools and training and resources to hit the ground running beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.

Regarding item number 48, which is the Golden State Teacher grant program, we appreciate and support the recommendation to reject the proposed fiscal reduction in the current trailer Bill, language that would significantly dilute the intent and impact of the program and actions such as reducing the award amounts or decreasing the time that teachers are required to work in a priority school decreases the overall incentive for potential teachers to work in those priority schools in the first place.

So again, appreciate your support and look forward to continued conversations.

Thank you very much.

Hello. My name is Chad Zellinger. I'm President for the California Music Educators Association, representing 1,700 Members across the state. Thank you. Thank you for reading our letter at the last meeting. Appreciate that.

So CME agrees with rejecting item 107 on page 23 from the CTE teacher supplementary authorization for art, music, dance, and theater, as well as other provisions in the item. We request that the Committee's rejection of item 107 as well. Our Members thank you, thank you and the budget staff for listening to our significant concerns regarding this proposal. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Welcome. Hello, Jason Whistler, senior research specialist with UC Davis Labor Center. I spoke here a couple weeks ago against the proposed cuts to the labor centers. So today I'm here to show my appreciation and say thank you for rejecting those cuts. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you Mister Chair, Members. Andrea Ball. First, on behalf of the Suburban School Districts Association, the Central Valley Education Coalition want to thank you for all the work you've done this year, especially for funding the cost of living adjustment. Making sure that's in, that's very important to school districts across the state.

On the Golden State Teacher Award, on behalf of the California Association of School Psychologists, we really appreciate you rejecting the changes. That program was recently changed to allow folks getting their pupil services credential, which includes school psychologists. And we really think the cuts would be devastating. Thank you.

Thank you. Welcome.

Hello Mister Chair and Members of the Committee, Yvonne Fernandez with the California Labor Federation here to voice our appreciation for the Protection of UC Labor center funding as well as the protection of funding for the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. We very much appreciate the Legislature's decision to protect this funding. Thanks so much.

Thank you very much.

Tiffany Mox, CFT. Thank you Chair, Members and staff, for your hard work on this budget. We wanted to support the rejection of the cuts to the labor center. The proposal for 100% office hours for part time faculty. It's really key to student learning and providing equity of opportunity to maximize student opportunity of learning. The proposal for alternative.

The alternative proposal for Prop 98 and also the thoughtfulness in funding the UC compact for this coming year. We oppose cuts to the UC generally, so I'd like to note that as well. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Good morning Mister Chair and Members and staff. Thank you so much for working with us this year and reading our letters and reporting back on our letters. We appreciate that. Wanted to align myself with the comments of the previous speaker.

Could you just remind us who you are?

Oh, Sorry. Pamela Gibbs. Pamela Gibbs representing Los Angeles County office of Education.

I know, but the people at home might not exactly.

Thank you Senator, for reminding me. I'm trying to get right in and get right out.

I appreciate that. I won't interrupt you anymore.

Well, again, want to align myself with the previous speaker related to the Golden State teacher grant program. We appreciate putting the funding back in for that. And also on item 21 and 22 for the height, high speed network and the broadband infrastructure. It's a countywide priority for LACO, and so we urge your continued support for that.

Also for community schools, which is the last one I'll talk about. Thank you for extending that deadline for funding. It's been a priority throughout the county as well. And we'll send an updated letter. Thank you very much and good luck today.

Thank you. Welcome.

Ken Jacobs, co-chair, UC Berkeley Labor center and just want to express our appreciation for you rejection, for your rejecting the cuts to the UC labor centers. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We appreciate that.

Good afternoon chair and Members saboed UCLA Labor Center also want to express my gratitude for continuing the funding of the UC labor centers. It allows us to do the research and education programs and we look forward to working with you.

Thank you very much.

Hi. Good morning. Chair Members of the Committee, Kelly Longo Flores with the California Association of Food Banks. We work alongside 41 food banks across the state with a mission to end hunger. And we're just here to say a huge thank you for your support of fully funding school meals for all in your budget package.

We know that one in four California families face food insecurity and this is an essential program. So big. Thank you. And also me too, on behalf of grace in child poverty. Thank you very much.

Hi. Good morning Chair and Members. Overall, we're very appreciative for. Oh, I should start with my introduction. Yes, thank you. Carol Gonzalez here on behalf of a few folks, Hope Hispanas organized for political equality.

They're very appreciative of the inclusion of the UC labor centers and the inclusion of the unceasing latinas initiative that was very important to them. Second, Inclusive Action for the City, also appreciative of the UC labor Center. And then at Trustwest, they're appreciative of the CSU and UC compact and the inclusion of Cal grant reform, very important.

And Long Beach City College, very appreciative of the COLA. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. That completes our public comment. Thanks everyone for making the comments. We appreciate it. And we're going to move to the Committee. And so first I'm going to offer my colleagues a chance to make any comments before we move to a vote. Senator Cortese, do you have anything you'd like to say?

I appreciate very much the public comment and of course, given my home county and one of your home counties, I'm particularly supportive of the rejection of the ERAF proposal. So I don't have much more to say. I've been playing catch up with a lot of excellent help from this Committee staff over the last two weeks.

And I think I'm prepared to move items when the time is appropriate.

Great. I appreciate your comments. And thank you for your willingness to serve so late in the session. I'm just going to do this all at once in reading. But we'll entertain three separate motions in vote only. And we're going to do part a and b together in one motion in these different motions.

And so, just for the record, the first motion would be on part A, issues 67111315 to 21, 24 to 25, 27 to 31, 33, 35 to 46, 48 to 49, 51 to 57, 59 to 72, 79, 81 to 90, 94 to 96, 99 to 104, 106 to 109.

And then in part B, under this same motion would be issues 2 to 10, 12, 14 to 17, 19 to 20, 22 to 27, 28, 31 to 32. Excuse me, I'm rushing too much. 22 to 24, 28, 31 to 32, 34 to 35, 38 to 40, 42 to 44. 46 to 47 and 49 to 50.

So I would entertain a motion. Wilk moves the motion. Okay. Motion for those items to approve, please call the roll. [Roll Call]

That motion is approved on a 30 vote. Then the second motion will be for part A, issues 1 to 5, 8, 10, 22, 26, 34, 47, 73, 79, 76, 80, 91 93,97 and 98. And under part B, issues 1, 11, 13, 18, 21, 25 to 27, 29 to 30, 33, 36 and 37, 45 and 48. Do I have a motion? I'm willing to move that part a.

And part b, set of items motion by Senator Cortese on the issues I read. Please call the roll. [Roll Call]

That motion carries two to one. And then we're going to move to a third motion. And by the way, thank you. Everybody is clearly following along, so I appreciate that. And the third motion would include, under part A, issues 9, 12, 14, 23, 32, 50, 58, 74 to 75, 77 to 78, 92, 105. And under part B, issue 41.

Do I have a motion? Move approval motion by Senator Cortese. Please call the roll. [Roll Call]

Okay. Thank you. That motion carries two to zero. And so let me. That completes our business. But I'm going to make one closing comment. Because a lot of the people that were testifying were beginning to celebrate. And let me just tell you this is a way station in the process, and there will be three party negotiations.

We are hopeful that the Assembly will be approving a similar list today that will create a legislative budget that might come to a floor vote, as that is. But if there are three party negotiations and they're successful, then there might be a more full budget that comes before June 15.

If not, we will likely address the budget we just passed before June 15 and then have a final set of budget actions that would be taken before June 30, maybe by June 27. I just ask that you all keep on this because all of you have different concerns.

And this has been amazing progress from the January 10 budget to all our hearings, to the May revise, which incorporated a bunch of things, to the more legislative focused budget, where we just adopted the education part of it.

And other subcommittees are acting right now to do the different parts of the budget which will roll up into one complete budget. And we are unique in the education budget Subcommitee because of Proposition 98 and some of the other factors that really talk about revenues in a different way than the other subcommittees.

And so you can see a little more clearly how the revenue matches the expenditures here, but it's the overall architecture of the budget that will dictate what the other subcommittees are doing right now. And it did influence what we did on the University of California and the Cal State University system.

So with that, seeing no other comments, I appreciate everybody's long work. And even though I announced it was the last hearing, don't be surprised if you see us sometime again. And I would thank the staff, who is very heroic. I really appreciate the Legislative Analyst Office.

I really appreciate the input from the Department of Finance, the California Department of Education, and many stakeholders who participated all the way through the process. And so with that, the Senate budget Subcommitee won on education will stand adjourned.