Copyright© 2006 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 19                   For Publication Date: August 18, 2006             No. 18

By the Way . . .

Annual Property Tax Backfill Legislation Gutted. Each legislative session, the California Community Colleges sponsor legislation that would require the State Controller to transfer funds between the General Fund and Section B of the State School Fund to backfill any shortfalls in property tax revenues due to community colleges. Each year that this legislation has been introduced, it has failed passage or been vetoed by the Governor. This legislative session, AB 1402 by Assembly Member Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) was the vehicle, but it was “gutted” on August 8. The bill, as amended, is now authored by Assembly Member Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and would authorize persons licensed to provide residential foster care to a ward of the court to petition the juvenile court to order a placement agency to develop a plan on how to provide the child with greater supervision. 

The $64,000 question is whether the system will try once again to gain the revenue backfill currently afforded to K-12 schools during the 2007-08 legislative session.