By the Way. . .Assembly Creates Select Committee on Education Equity

October 13, 2000

By the Way . . .

Assembly Creates Select Committee on Education Equity. In the wake of the defeat of K-12 equalization efforts in the 1999-2000 Legislative Session, the Assembly has created the Select Committee of Education Equity to develop a more acceptable equalization formula for the Legislature to consider during the 2001 State Budget Development.

The new Select Committee is chaired by Assembly Member Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), and includes Assembly Members Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), Bob Margett (R-Arcadia), Virginia Strom-Martin (D-Duncan Mills), and Charlene Zettel (R-Poway). As indicated, the committee is bi-partisan and includes representatives from both Northern and Southern California.

Focus of the Select Committee appears to be on K-12 education-what about community colleges? California community colleges suffer from the same funding inequities as the K-12 system. As you are aware, the community college system's efforts to gain equalization funding have been denied by the Administration, and so the community college system should call upon the Select Committee to broaden its mission to include community colleges. The system's budget proposal for 2001-02 contains a request of $45 million for "Ensuring Student Success Statewide" (equalization). The Select Committee should be made aware of the system's needs in this area to hopefully gain the support of the Governor.

During a recent hearing on K-12 equalization, Interim-Secretary for Education John Mockler told the Select Committee that Governor Davis would probably not look favorably on providing new equalization funds as the state has in the past because this method has the state chasing its tail. The State Chancellor's Office is proposing that the system approach equalization funding using a different methodology than used in prior years.

The community colleges should communicate its equalization funding concerns to the Select Committee to garner the most support they can with the Legislature and Governor.