Volume I, No. 8a

January 8, 2009

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.  

Over the Cliff – What’s at the Bottom?

By David Walrath -- dwalrath@m-w-h.com

With his veto of the Democrats’ budget balancing plan, Governor Schwarzenegger has started a whole new level of negotiation brinksmanship. For school districts, the situation has not changed. Expect at least $2 billion and probably $2.5 billion in real program cuts for this year and additional cuts for next year. Whether the cuts are from the revenue limit as proposed by the Governor, or from categorical aid programs as proposed by the Legislature, is not the direct issue.

more ...

CSBA Mandate Case: An Update

By Ernest Silva -- esilva@m-w-h.com  

The December 18, 2008 issue of Education’s Bottom Line included an article written about the CSBA v. State of California  mandates case recently decided in a San Diego Superior Court.  The article included a series of implications for how the Governor and the Legislature could respond to the holding that deferrals of mandate reimbursement were unconstitutional.  Let me be the first to admit, I missed one.  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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