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Volume I, No. 6
December 11, 2008
California school finance is in for a wild ride over the next 18 months; Education’s Bottom Line provides information regarding the State Budget along with other pertinent information on issues affecting school districts.
Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Hearing
By Patti Herrera -- pherrera@m-w-h.com
The Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Education, chaired by Senator Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), met on Wednesday, December 10 to hear testimony from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) and the Department of Finance about the state’s current- and budget-year situation, looking for ways to solve the projected $28 billion deficit and the impacts that such a solution will have on education. more...
Republican Lawmakers Provide Wish List As Part of Budget Negotiations
By Patti Herrera -- pherrera@m-w-h.com
As the budget impasse progresses toward the new year, Republican lawmakers gave the Governor and leaders in the Legislature a wish list for consideration before they even begin talks about tax increases. In his recent Fiscal Outlook report, the Legislative Analyst indicated that it will take significant changes on both sides of the state ledger (increase revenues and cut expenditures) to mitigate the current fiscal situation. Democrats and the Governor have been calling for new revenues through tax increases and new taxes – such as a tax on services – to compliment spending cuts, but Republicans in the Legislature have heretofore resisted, citing that a recession is not the time to burden Californians with greater pressure on their personal finances. more...
State Cash Flow Problem and School Facility Funding
By David Walrath -- dwalrath@m-w-h.com
The credit markets have frozen again. This means the state has great difficulty selling bonds or issuing notes because there is no market. This freezing is temporary (no more than four months) but is real in its effect on state funding for infrastructure including schools until the markets thaw. more...
Federal Stimulus For Schools – May Be Better Than Expected
By David Walrath -- dwalrath@m-w-h.com
The National Rural Education Advocacy Coalition (NREAC) reports the federal stimulus package could include more school provisions. more...
Grid Neutral Guidebook
By Patti Herrera -- pherrera@m-w-h.com
The Department of General Services recently released the Grid Neutral: Electrical Independence for California Schools and Community Colleges step-by-step guidebook on how to achieve energy savings and generate electricity on school campuses. According to the State & Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin, who announced the new publication at the Green California Schools Summit in Anaheim, the guidebook will help “school officials to invest smartly in green technologies and cut their production of greenhouse gases,” a key target of the landmark climate change law enacted with the passage of AB 32 in 2006. more...
If you have any questions on the articles in this newsletter, please contact the author of the article in question.
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Murdoch, Walrath & Holmes (MWH) has been instrumental in shaping statewide policy and implementing regulations for K-12 schools for more than two decades. Strategic relationships have been forged with the State Administration through agencies such as the Department of Education, the State Allocation Board, the Department of Finance and the Office of Public School Construction and, on the federal level, with key Congressional Members and the Executive Branch. MWH prides itself on having some of the best minds in K-12 education in virtually all aspects of school fiscal needs.
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