Volume I, No. 1

November 6, 2008

This is the first edition of the Education’s Bottom Line. Only school district and county office of education superintendents in California will receive this complimentary email update.  California school finance is in for a wild ride for the next 18 months; this edition provides information regarding the State Budget along with other pertinent information on issues affecting school districts.  

Preliminary Results for November 2008 K-12 District and Community College Facilities Bond and Parcel Tax Elections

By Gretchen Kocinsky -- gkocinsky@m-w-h.com

K-12 school districts and community colleges in California had much to celebrate on November 5.  With well over 100 bond and parcel tax measures on a crowded ballot, only a handful of failures were evident as of Wednesday morning.  83 K-12 Proposition 39 bond elections were held, of which 75 passed.  Most successful measures had well over the 55% vote needed for passage.  Two districts held 2/3 vote bond elections, both of which failed.  The winning bond elections are expected to bring in $16.765 billion dollars in local funds.  more...

Governor Proposes $2.5 Billion Education Cut

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

Governor proposes to delete revenue limit COLA ($244.3 million) COLA and cut existing revenue limit funding ($1.791 billion) along with other categorical aid reductions as part of budget balancing.  The Governor is also proposing categorical program flexibility for school districts to backfill the proposed revenue limit cut. Read more on the Governor’s Budget: 2008-09 Special Session.

School District Surplus Property: Uses of Proceeds from Sale or Lease

By Tom Duffy -- tduffy@m-w-h.com

In recent years a number of school districts have sought to convert property assets into cash as capital funds have been depleted and as general fund revenues have diminished. Such conversion of land into dollars is not a simple process; the Legislature has, in fact, made the process more complex since 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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