Feinstein Pledges to Restore School Cuts

Seeking to cement her support among school employees, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dianne Feinstein pledged Wednesday to replace $462 million in education money slashed from the state budget by Gov. George Deukmejian.

“When I’m governor, if this situation hasn’t been rectified by then, I intend to sign legislation that will restore the education funding cut by Gov. Deukmejian,” Feinstein told cheering supporters at a convention of the California School Employees Assn.

Deukmejian, wrestling with a $3.6-billion shortfall, impounded $264 million in school cost-of-living increases and moved another $198 million into a reserve fund where it can be used only in an emergency.

In her appearance at the annual convention of school employees, Feinstein used harsh language in attacking the Republican governor, asserting: “The governor’s actions were mean spirited. They were intended to be punitive.”

Earlier in the day, hundreds of union members rallied outside the Capitol to protest Deukmejian’s cuts in the school budget. The organization has endorsed Feinstein’s candidacy.

During her speech, the former San Francisco mayor did not discuss any specifics of the education funds she would restore as governor and quickly left the convention hall before reporters could question her.

An aide said later that Feinstein would restore the $462 million in Proposition 98 funds cut by the governor but did not intend to replace another $12 million to finance the popular California Assessment Program, a testing program used to evaluate the success of schools in teaching their students.

Although she is running for governor against Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson, Feinstein devoted more of her time to attacking Deukmejian and his handling of the budget.