A change in the governor’s office and expanded Democratic supermajorities in the Legislature have emboldened long-frustrated advocates of increasing taxes to expand health, welfare and education services. The California Tax Foundation calculates that bills already introduced this year would raise Californians’ taxes by $6.2 billion a year with others to...
Charter-Mageddon: Lawmakers Advance a Raft of Union-Backed Charter School Curbs
As charter school advocates rallied en masse and California’s teachers’ unions flexed their political muscle, a cluster of bills that would dramatically curb the growth of charters in the state cleared the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday. The votes were the first in what figures to be a lengthy, high-stakes...
Walters: Election Results Fuel War on Charter Schools
Elections have consequences, and while some are unintended, one major impact of last year’s California elections is very much intended. Organizations and wealthy individuals favoring education reforms and charter schools went head-to-head with the California Teachers Association and other elements of the education establishment. It was a wipeout. The CTA,...
Walters: School Accountability Good for Some, Not Others?
Last year, in his final budget as governor, Jerry Brown proudly proclaimed a new policy to encourage the state’s 114 community colleges to pay more attention to how their students are faring. “By funding colleges based primarily on enrollment, the current funding formula encourages districts to strictly prioritize student access...
Walters: Slowing Economy Could Hit State Budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first budget proposal, unveiled two months ago, took a surprisingly conservative approach, given his promises of high-dollar spending during his campaign for the governorship. While he proposed token appropriations to expand health insurance for the poor and pre-kindergarten care and education, his 2019-20 budget would devote most...
Trump’s Record $4.7 Trillion Budget Relies on Strong Growth
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump proposed a record $4.7 trillion federal budget for 2020 on Monday, relying on optimistic 3.1 percent economic growth projections alongside accounting shuffles and steep domestic cuts to bring future spending into promised balance in 15 years. The deficit is projected to hit $1.1 trillion in...
Gov. Newsom: Is He Getting Things Done?
Can California Afford Newsom's Vision for Schools? Here's Your K-12 Primer.
Early childhood education. A top-tier national ranking for K-12 per-pupil spending. A data system that would track kids from nursery school through state universities. California’s Legislature won’t reconvene until 2019, but the Christmas wish list for public schools  is already long and pricey. On the first day of session, Democratic lawmakers...
Her Reading Heart Inspires Students Across Fresno
Danay Ferguson founded Reading Heart when she was just 8 years old, making her the youngest registered entrepreneur in Fresno County history, according to the nonprofit's website. "It first started out with my love of reading," Danay said, "and I wanted to share that with everybody else." The avid reader is...
How Will Newsom Lead California? He Explains.
In this 6-minute preview of his plans for California, Gov-elect Gavin Newsom explains why he's a risk-taker and how he plans to fix what ails the state. In the video interview above, Newsom talks about how he will lead California. He covers healthcare, his relationship with President Donald Trump, climate...