COMMENTARY ON EDUCATION FUNDING : Cutting the Schools Will Cost Society More Than It Will Save : California’s children didn’t cause the deficit and they shouldn’t have to pay for it. Consider them a wise investment.

California is facing a financial crisis of unprecedented proportion. The governor and legislators are attempting to remedy a state budget deficit that may exceed $14 billion. Counties, cities and school districts are also facing enormous constraints and the tension is building. Alas, the governor’s proposed solution is not an acceptable solution, especially for public schools. It defaults on one of the most critical investments of the state--our children. The proposal will devastate public education and jeopardize California’s future.

Our schools are sorely under-funded. Of the nation’s 50 states, California ranks 49th in the amount of personal income we spend on education. Gov. Pete Wilson’s contemplated cuts would bring educational funding in California to as much as $800 per pupil below the national average--the greatest disparity in California history-- when education funding in our state is already so dismal that it would take $6 billion more to support it at the same level as most other states.

Recently, more than 12,000 parents and supporters of improved educational funding filled the Orange Coast College stadium to voice their support. They joined with local legislators, the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and others in reminding Sacramento that education had to have a higher priority.

There is a glimmer of hope. The governor has recommended a bold new proposal. For the first time since the 1970s, a governor has recognized the need to return financial control to our communities.

Since 1978, the state has unilaterally controlled funding to local school districts. We have followed the Golden Rule: He who has the gold rules. Sacramento has been trying to rule local school districts in a state whose economy is roughly equivalent to that of the sixth-largest nation in the world.

In contrast, New York state, which has only about one-half the number of students we have in California, does not rule schools from the state capital; they are ruled locally and decisions about educational programs are made by local communities. We need to return to local decision-making in California.

Gov. Wilson is supporting some local community tax incentives that will assist in the transfer of decision-making from Sacramento to counties, cities and school districts. He needs to take this proposal one step further and provide a way local voters can effectively decide on the quality of educational programs in their communities.

While the state continues its policy debate regarding funding, school districts are faced with the reality of budgeting now for the upcoming school year, without knowing their income. In order to remain solvent, school districts statewide are preparing for the worst-case scenario. They cannot wait until the end of summer, when Sacramento has closed its debate, to notify teachers of their status or to begin dealing with the major curricular implications of this crisis.

More than 650 essential employees, including counselors, librarians, science, music and reading teachers, administrators and support staff have received layoff notices in Orange County school districts. California is facing the threat of having to lay off thousands of teachers at a time when enrollment is growing at a rate of approximately 200,000 children a year. These crippling cuts will jeopardize and certainly reverse the momentum of a reform movement in progress in California education. College students interpret these layoffs as a sign that teaching is one of the most unstable professions within the state, and it is no wonder that it is increasingly more difficult to attract college graduates to a profession that offers low financial compensation and instability.

Saddleback Valley Unified School District is cutting $5 million out of its operating budget. These cuts include a layoff of 55 of our support staff this year and 87 staff members including teachers, counselors, librarians and administrators for next year, along with the elimination of critical educational programs.

Our elementary students will lose the possibility of participating in specialized science programs, in reading programs geared for the high-risk student, and in choral or instrumental music. High school students will experience cuts in their libraries and in the academic excellence program that has supported our success in the Academic Decathlon, leading to winning second place nationally for the last two years. Guidance personnel who provide needed counseling and assist students in college and career choices are also being eliminated. These program reductions put our state’s future, economy and competitive edge at risk!

The answers to the state’s budget crisis are complex and problematic; however, education cannot be the bank to which the state turns to solve this crisis. The state cannot draw from a deficit account. To do so would disable our children and render them unable to compete in a global economy.

The issue is for the governor and the Legislature to balance the upcoming budget without doing irrevocable harm to the children and to restructure the way schools are funded so that local communities can choose the quality of education they desire. Children are our state’s most critical investment and our long-range solution for a successful future.