Notepad

NEA Today, Feb 2004

Corning Attraction: A Colossal Investment in California's Future!

Chronically underfunded for more than two decadesand bled dry by $4 billion in cuts in the past two years-California schools trail the national per-pupil spending average. In response, the California Teachers Association (CTA) is pulling out the stops to secure the resources schools need and deserve.

CTA has teamed up with filmmaker-child advocate Rob Reiner to place the "Improving Classroom Education Act" on the November 2004 ballot. This initiative would amend the state constitution to establish a trust fund-financed through a modest commercial property tax increasededicated exclusively to public education.

Two-thirds of fund money would go straight to K-12 classrooms for needs such as class size reduction, teacher training, and instructional materials, and one-third would provide voluntary universal preschool for children one year prior to kindergarten. And none of this cash could be spent on administrative overhead.

When Reiner and CTA President Barbara E. Kerr jointly announced this initiative last autumn, Reiner said, "We both believe that providing a quality education for all children is the most important investment we can make for the future of California."