Clash on Student Aid Is Expected

Gov. Gray Davis and state Senate Democrats appear to be headed for a battle over key parts of Davis’ latest education proposals, ranging from the level of school spending to the governor’s desire to grant merit scholarships to high-performing students regardless of family income.

Senate President Pro Tem John Burton said Wednesday that his vision for public schools will require as much as $1 billion more than the $28 billion that Davis is offering schools in his proposed budget for next year.

“Clearly, it is going to take more money,” Burton said, calling for higher pay for teachers, increases in scholarships for needy students and additional spending on school maintenance. Burton emphasized that he shares his fellow Democrats’ desire to improve California’s troubled public education system. But with the state receiving $9 billion more in tax revenue than budget experts anticipated only six months ago, liberals in the Legislature are sure to press the moderate Davis to expand spending significantly.

“If we really mean what we say about the importance of education, you cannot do it on the cheap,” said Burton (D-San Francisco).

His remarks came a day after Davis held a news conference to announce which 10 legislators would carry his education bills through the Legislature--an event attended by half a dozen Assembly Democrats, but no senators.

Davis has taken the offensive, appearing last week in San Francisco and urging that parents of public school children write letters endorsing his program to legislators who oppose aspects of it.

The Senate Democrats’ tone is far different from last year, during the new governor’s honeymoon period. This time last year, legislators were busy approving four education-related bills that Davis considered critical to his education platform. Burton’s critique underscores what appears to be increasing friction between Democratic legislators and Davis on an array of issues, from labor demands to increased health care for the poor.

“Clearly, these will not be fast-tracked,” Burton said, promising detailed legislative hearings on the governor’s education wish list. As he outlined last month in his budget and his State of the State speech, Davis is calling for more teaching training and recruitment, additional remedial education, and the merit-based scholarships.

Burton and other Senate Democrats believe Davis is not going far enough. The governor, for example, has called for a $50 million program offering forgivable $10,000 home loans to teachers who work at low-performing schools. Burton noted, however, that the program would benefit only 5,000 teachers, a fraction of California’s roughly 300,000 public school teachers.

Senate Democrats also will seek to increase state aid to the 1.5-million student community college system beyond the 3% that Davis proposes for next year. The governor’s spending plan calls for a 3.8% increase to the University of California system and a 4.5% raise for the Cal State University system.

Burton was especially critical of Davis’ proposal to award $1,000 to high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who rank in the top 10% statewide on the annual STAR test, or in the top 5% at their schools. The money would be used to defray the cost of the students’ college tuition.

Davis will probably end up winning passage of legislation authorizing merit scholarships. But Senate Democrats will attempt to modify Davis’ plan by tying it to a boost in state aid for students from low-income families, and increased payments for remedial summer school programs.

Davis made a point at his news conference of emphasizing that the merit scholarships would be awarded to students at all high schools. Most legislators carrying his education bills represent districts that are heavily populated by Latinos and African Americans.

Assemblyman Roderick Wright (D-Los Angeles), who will be carrying the merit scholarship legislation, noted that 95% of the children in his district do not go on to four-year colleges. But as he envisions the legislation, the money could be used by students who plan to attend trade schoolsafter graduating from high school.

“You’ve got the money to go wherever you want to go,” Wright said, adding that it could be used by youths who aspire to be “Mr. Goodwrench or Nobel laureates.”