Budget provides resources to help educators and school communities reimagine public education

BURLINGAME — California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd, a kindergarten educator, issued the following statement in response to the Legislature passing a state budget agreement and enabling legislation to provide an independent study option this fall for medically fragile students:

“This education budget agreement addresses many of the challenges facing our students and educators that have been so sharply brought into focus by this pandemic.

“Thanks to higher-than-expected state revenues and federal stimulus funding, the budget plan provides record funding for public education to help close a persistent per-pupil spending gap. However, California still ranks 37th compared to other states. The budget agreement includes investments for students at all stages of their lives, from the historic adoption of universal transitional kindergarten, additional funding for special education and through significant support for community college students. It also includes robust investments in community schools and resources to hire more teachers, nurses and counselors that we so desperately need.

“CTA does recognize that some of these funds are one-time dollars, which can impact ongoing support to student programs. We also look forward to a full accounting and balancing of Proposition 98 funding as transitional kindergarten is expanded statewide.

“While we expect safe, in-person learning to be the norm for most students in the fall, this agreement includes a flexible independent study option for K-12 students who are medically fragile, cannot be vaccinated, or whose parents do not feel safe sending them to school as this pandemic continues.

“At a time when the pandemic has laid bare long-existing inequities and students’ academic, social and emotional needs, this budget helps educators, parents and school communities head into a new school year with a sense of progress and much-needed resources to really reimagine public education with a focus on supporting the whole student.”

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The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.