California schools are safe because Proposition 30 passed.
If Proposition 30 had failed, California schools would have faced $6 billion in cuts this year.
Six billion dollars is approximately equal to the salaries of 92,000 teachers, 66,000 principals, or 200,000 janitors.
In the past four years, California schools have been hit with $20 billion in cuts, which resulted in 300,000 fewer teachers and some of the largest class sizes in the country.
History teacher and teacher union representative Carolyn Wade stated, “Schools across California dodged a bullet on massive cutbacks to education.”
Proposition 30 passed by a margin of 53.9% to 46.1%.
“Proposition 30 will help Sequoia School District by stabilizing the budget, and this will keep the district from cutbacks on teachers and days,” stated AP Economics teacher Kris Weisman.
By adding state tax revenues of $6 billion annually from 2012 through 2017, Proposition 30 counters the $6 billion in cuts to education slated for this year.
For instance, the California State University system took back this year’s $250 tuition fee increase, which made the annual tuition the same as it was last year.
Proposition 30 increases taxes on individuals who make more than $250,000 a year and couples who make more than $500,000 a year for seven years.
Students will be paying as well, since it also increases the sales tax in California by one-fourth of a cent for four years.
Weisman also stated that, “We as a society have to buy into the public good, meaning that we all pay taxes to benefit from the
services funded by the taxes, such as public education.”
Another benefit is increased tax revenues to California schools.
Wade said, “Certainly for K-12 there won’t be cutbacks to teachers.”
A key element of Proposition 30 is that it allows local school governing boards to decide how funds, mostly from the temporary tax increase on the rich, should be spent.
However, in order to check these school boards, official inspections of the school’s financial accounts will ensure that this money is only being used for schools and education.
Approximately $67 million was spent in support of Proposition 30, while $53 million were spent in opposition.
Furthermore, Proposition 30 did have competition on the ballot, as Proposition 38 had similar ideas, such as raising money for K-12 schools, but instead increased the income tax on all Californians.
Proposition 38 would have increased income tax using a slider, from .4% for individuals with annual earnings of 7,316 dollars to 2.2% for individuals with annual earnings of 2.5 million dollars.
Chemistry teacher Hai Nguyen stated that, “Proposition 38 would make college students pay more money on top of their student loans. Do you think that’s fair?”
Proposition 38 would have raised around $10 billion from 2012 through 2024.
The money would have been divided, as $6 billion would have been used for schools, $1 billion for child care and preschool, and $3 billion for state savings on debt payments.
In terms of donors, Proposition 38 raised $48 million in support while only $42,000 was raised in opposition.
Proposition 38 was defeated by a margin of 72.4% to 27.7%.
However, because Proposition 30 had won, its effects are already taking place.
As according to Wade, “California made a statement that they think education is important.”
