Some Good News for Elk Grove Schools in Revised State Budget

Governor Jerry Brown released his revised state budget for 2011-2012 Monday morning, and the numbers included more for schools than the governor originally laid out in January. But officials at the aren’t celebrating yet.

Brown projected that the state will take in $6.6 billion more in tax revenue this year and next year than was originally expected, with $1.6 billion of that going to K-12 education and community colleges.

District officials said that won’t be enough for them to avoid the $40 million in budget reductions they have planned for next year, including hundreds of layoffs—unless the governor succeeds in getting voters to extend tax increases set to expire this year.

“It remains important that the state of California and voters recognize the impact of tax extensions,” EGUSD Superintendent Dr. Steven Ladd said Monday. “That still is a very important element to the fiscal solvency of California going forward.”

Any budget the governor proposes must be approved by the legislature before it can be enacted. Brown has been battling with Republican legislators over extending higher sales, vehicle and income taxes for five more years. On Monday, he floated delaying the income tax proposal while continuing to push for the other two, which he said would net a total increase in education spending of about $3 billion over last year.

“This is a program of taxes with a vote of the people,” Brown said at a press conference, while also proposing to lay off 5500 state workers and eliminate various boards and commissions.

However, without agreement in the legislature, it’s unclear if or when Brown will be able to put the tax increases before voters.

Faced with that uncertainty, school districts have been contemplating two very different budget scenarios—one if the tax increases pass, and another far more draconian option if they don’t. In Elk Grove, officials said their plans seemed to line up with the numbers the governor released Monday, but they were still working to understand the fine print.

“We certainly hope that [the increased revenue] is a harbinger that the economy is turning around for the state of California,” said Ladd. “Where the dollars come, how they come and when they come are all very important questions and we look forward to getting into the real details.”