Legislators propose boosting preschool funding

Liv Ames for EdSource

Children play at a state-funded Kidango preschool in San Jose.

Liv Ames for EdSource

Children play at a land-funded Kidango preschool in San Jose.

Lawmakers are proposing to add together hundreds of millions more dollars to childcare and preschool initiatives than what Gov. Jerry Brown proposed in the country budget, but the increment is probable to encounter resistance from the governor.

The Assembly and Senate budget committees passed proposals in recent weeks to increment the corporeality of money and spaces for childcare, boost voucher programs and give more than money to centers that watch over children.

The Assembly's proposal adds $605 1000000 for childcare and preschool programs, while the Senate's plan adds $332 one thousand thousand. Both proposals would substantially increase what Brown proposed in his revised budget for the 2015-sixteen financial year.

Brown'southward total budget for childcare and preschool in the coming year is $two.six billion, according to figures from the Legislative Analyst'southward Function. That amount, role of the governor'south May budget revision, bumps funding for early pedagogy by $88 one thousand thousand from what he proposed in January.

In a news conference held May 14 to explain his revisions to the budget, Brown warned state lawmakers to be prudent spenders, despite a rebounding state economic system and an increase in state revenue in contempo months. He said the Legislature must have into account California's boom-and-bust cycles and refrain from overspending during periods of prosperity, such every bit the one the state at present enjoys.

"Nosotros know a recession is on the style," Brown said. "Information technology's around the corner. Is it adjacent year? Is it four years from now? It's coming. And when information technology comes and yous get these cutbacks, who'south cut back? Schoolhouse teachers, people on welfare…. Information technology'southward inevitable. This is the reality of California. And people who don't know that's the reality are blinding themselves to what it is."

"So it isn't that child intendance isn't a expert thing," the governor added. "Merely there'southward a lot of proficient things. So which one practise you want? If you like to say, 'Instead of K-12, nosotros need pre-Thou-12,' – that's 13 years, or some would say 14 years. Well maybe y'all have to chop off at the other end. If it's so of import to start earlier peradventure you shouldn't be thinking about the last ii years. Whatsoever it is, you lot have to make choices; either rearranging the funding or find another way to get funds."

After saying 2 weeks agone that Chocolate-brown'southward early education budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year was too skimpy, early on education advocates are now praising the Associates and Senate plans.

"We're really excited to come across the proposals from both the Associates and Senate," said Molly Tafoya, a spokeswoman for Early Edge, a group that advocates for high-quality preschool programs. "They recognize that there is a bang-up unmet need in California for an increase in investment."

The upkeep committees had more money to piece of work with when they came upwardly with their proposals: The Legislative Analyst's Office is predicting that the state will take about $iii billion more in revenue than the governor's office forecast in the revised May upkeep.

Some of the highlights of the new upkeep plans:

Preschool: The Assembly's version would add 10,500 full-day preschool slots, compared to ii,500 part-time spaces aimed at 3- and 4-twelvemonth-olds with special needs in the governor's programme. The Senate'south programme adds 4,300 spaces for "full general" childcare that includes some preschool slots.

Vouchers: The land would pay for ten,000 vouchers for childcare slots in the Associates's program or 13,200 slots in the Senate's plan. Brown'south plan has no increment from last twelvemonth in "alternative payment" voucher slots.

Payments to childcare centers: The Senate would boost the reimbursements to childcare centers by well-nigh four pct, while the Assembly wants to hike the amount by 20 percentage. The governor's plan offers cost-of-living increases.

The Senate budget program would be funded past dipping into funds guaranteed by Proffer 98, which requires that a minimum percentage of the state'due south funding be spent on kindergarten through 12th grade education and guarantees annual increases.

"Folding information technology into Proffer 98 has a clear benefit of getting more dollars to those programs," said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now, a statewide advocacy group. "We demand to put more than emphasis on those early years."

The two plans now move to briefing committees made upward of members of both the Assembly and Senate, who will volition meet to reconcile the proposals. The total Legislature must approve the budget to send to Brown by June 15.

H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance, cautioned the Legislature to mind a contempo warning from the Legislative Analyst'due south Office near ongoing spending commitments, specially when lawmakers have adopted the LAO's forecast of higher revenues in their spending plans:

"We are clearly on the upward gradient of the state's revenue roller coaster,"the LAO said in response to Brown's revised budget. "Only just equally the land's revenue picture has improved significantly over just a few months, it tin can just as hands contrary course with a stock market or economic downturn. There is fiddling indication that such a downturn will occur soon. Only … such slumps can occur with little alert."

Here is the total transcript of Gov. Jerry Brown'due south comments nearly funding early instruction; he made the remarks during a May fourteen news briefing detailing his revised upkeep for the 2015-16 fiscal year:

Question: The Women's Legislative Caucus is calling for an actress $600 million in funding for childcare providers. Is that something that you address in this upkeep?

Brown: No. The point I want to make is that as I look frontward to my last term equally governor is that I don't desire to become caught in the jaws of the persistent fiscal instability of the country government of California. The idea that when you get a niggling money – or a lot of money, for a few years – that now you've reached utopia is and so demonstrably false as evidenced by the last 12 years. We have to learn from history and non continue repeating the mistakes.

If you look at the social stratification of America, of California, in fact in many parts of the world, in that location are needs that would definitely warrant, in many people'south minds, government assist. But in club to do that you'd need a considerably larger budget, and we don't accept that – although nosotros do take a rather large budget, and it's growing.

This budget is a third bigger than it was at the bottom of the recession. We know a recession is on the way. It's effectually the corner. Is it adjacent year? Is information technology 4 years from now? Information technology's coming. And when it comes and you get these cutbacks, who's cut back? School teachers, people on welfare, all sorts of programs; the University of California. It's inevitable. This is the reality of California. And people who don't know that's the reality are blinding themselves to what it is.

It'south not that in that location aren't many good programs, and information technology isn't that we couldn't construct a California where the public sector was considerably bigger, or probably more accordingly, a public sector in America considerably bigger. Just that is not where nosotros are. And and then nosotros have to take what we have, spend it prudently and don't think, "Oh, this year, that's it." No, there's the twelvemonth after and the year after that.

And we have pretty good testify for how we have to operate. When I was governor the first time, nosotros didn't have this. Nosotros didn't know about it. But we do know most information technology. And so we tin can't deed similar it isn't there.

Then information technology isn't that child care isn't a good thing. Simply in that location's a lot of expert things. So which ane practise yous desire? If you like to say, "Instead of M-12, we need pre-Thousand-12," – that'south xiii years, or some would say 14 years. Well maybe you accept to chop off at the other end. If it's so important to starting time earlier maybe you lot shouldn't exist thinking nearly the terminal ii years. Whatever it is, you take to brand choices; either rearranging the funding or discover some other way to become funds.

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Source: https://edsource.org/2015/legislators-propose-boosting-preschool-funding/80682