Media Contacts:
Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Communications
communications@capta.org
Ignacio Barragan, Assistant Executive Director
ibarragan@capta.org / 916.440.1985
SACRAMENTO – December 19, 2020 – California State PTA announces its support for the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020, a ballot initiative that aligns with the organization’s goals of promoting the education, health, safety and well-being of children and securing stable and sustainable public education funding.
Also known as the “split roll” initiative, the measure would amend 1978’s Proposition 13 by reassessing and taxing certain commercial properties at current market value. The initiative will appear on the November 2020 statewide ballot if it gets the required number of signatures to qualify. If approved it will raise $6.5-11.5 billion in annual funds for public education, local governments and community services.
Roughly 40% of the projected revenue raised from this initiative would go to K-12 schools and community colleges, with the rest allocated to counties and cities. This will provide additional resources toward the goal of providing every student with a quality 21st century education. Despite having the fifth-largest economy in the world, the state is 41st in the nation in terms of per-student funding, 45th in student-teacher ratios, and 48th in staff per student.
“When more funds flow into local coffers, school districts and communities see a direct benefit,” said Celia Jaffe, President of California State PTA. “This initiative will have a positive impact on the ability of school districts to hire teachers and diversify their curriculum in ways that California State PTA has long advocated for.”
“Due to lack of funds, California schools are failing to adhere to mandates in areas such as arts education, a subject in which 88% of schools don’t meet state requirements,” Jaffe said. “Furthermore, additional funding would ensure other underfunded areas such as science and technology education would receive support.”
The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020 is one of two school funding ballot measures that California State PTA is supporting in 2020. The second measure is the school facilities bond on the March 2020 ballot. Both align with PTA’s mission to advocate for the education, health and safety of children and families. California State PTA recognizes that appropriate and adequate funding directly impacts the success of students and communities across the state.