Battle Escalates Over Education Spending

As state lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger grapple with a multibillion-dollar budget gap, dueling television ads focus on the governor’s plans for school spending. One was released by the California Teachers Assn., the other by the California Republican Party. Both feature classroom teachers speaking directly to the camera about the amount of money the governor wants the state to spend.

The similarities end there. The teachers union accuses Schwarzenegger of breaking a promise not to cut school funds. The Republican Party’s ad says schools will get a substantial boost in funding.

Script and images:

The California Teachers Assn. ad begins with a close-up of a teacher in a classroom:

Teacher 1: Keeping your word. It’s a cherished principle we teach our students.

Teacher 2: So how can Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger break his promise?

Teacher 3: Borrowing $2 billion from the education budget he now says he won’t give back.

Teacher 4: By breaking his pledge to respect our voter-approved minimum level of school funding.

Teacher 1: The governor is shortchanging every classroom by $25,000.

The image cuts from the teacher to a classroom full of students.

Narrator: Meaning large classrooms and fewer textbooks.

Teacher 4: When you hear the governor talking about reform, ask if that really means breaking his word to our schools and kids.

Analysis:

The advertisement focuses on a deal the governor made last year with teacher unions, school administrators, parent groups and other education organizations. He asked them to forgo $2 billion in exchange for guaranteed increases in the future. The groups agreed, but the governor did not stick to that pledge.

In the budget he proposed in January, Schwarzenegger called for continued suspension of the voter-approved formulas for school funding, depriving schools of billions of dollars. The governor is also proposing to end the state’s contribution to the retirement fund for teachers.

Schwarzenegger’s proposals would keep school spending in the next fiscal year, starting July 1, at roughly the same level it was after last year’s cuts. The nonpartisan legislative analyst’s office embraces the idea of flat school spending, arguing that other programs are in greater need.

*

Script and images:

The California Republican Party advertisement begins with a teacher standing before the camera.

Teacher 1: I’m disappointed when I hear the teachers union claim that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is cutting education spending. It is simply not true.

Teacher 2: The fact is that the governor has actually increased the education budget by nearly $3 billion this year.

Teacher 3: Equally important, the governor wants to reform the system, pay high-quality teachers more and base tenure on performance -- instead of seniority.

Schwarzenegger: $50 billion. Almost half of our state’s budget will go into education this year. I want to make sure the money goes directly to the classroom -- for your kids and the teachers who care about them.

Analysis:

The advertisement is meant to rebut the campaign by the California Teachers Assn. and other education groups against the governor’s plans. The governor is increasing the education budget, but just enough to cover enrollment growth and inflation adjustments. The $3-billion figure in the ad doesn’t take into account the $469-million cut in the state’s contribution that the governor is proposing for the teachers’ retirement fund.

In the end, Schwarzenegger’s plan will leave California lagging most states in per-student spending. The ad reflects the governor’s attempt to shift attention away from dollars spent and toward other policy changes he is proposing, such as weakening the tenure system for teachers.

*

From Times staff writer Evan Halper