California Wants A Tax Hike to Pay For Common Core

California Governor Jerry Brown and the California Federation of Teachers claim that the state needs to raise taxes to cover the state education budget.

Lance Izumi, writing in Fox and Hounds, is highly skeptical of new tax hike plans from Governor Jerry Brown and the California Federation of Teachers which they say are needed to close a $9 billion budget deficit. He notes that without the new spending obligations that come with adopting the national education standards the state’s education finances wouldn’t be in such perilous condition.

He refers to a study by the Pioneer Institute and the Pacific Research Institute that estimates the cost for retraining California’s teachers will be close to $630 million, while replacing textbooks will add another $483 million. In additional the new tests will have an associated annual cost of $35 million and the state will have to invest heavily in technology as the new tests are only available online.

The study projects “that California schools would need to make an initial one-time investment of about $418.5 million in computers and other infrastructure as well as additional annual expense, assuming a testing window comparable to current state policy.”

Add up all these varied costs and the one-time price tag for California to implement the national standards and tests comes to more than $1.5 billion.

Many of the component costs, however, will continue year after year. The study, therefore, estimates a seven-year cost to California of nearly $2.4 billion. Nationally, for all participating states, the seven-year cost is estimated to be a whopping $15.8 billion.

Common Core standards are popular with the Obama administration and states competing for Race to the Top money adopted them, however states such as South Carolina are already souring on the idea. The finance reports are likely to increase growing concern about the expense involved in making a transition with nebulous benefits. Izumi points out that the even education argument for the switch in California was flawed as the state already had a successful system in place.

Like a lemming, California joined the mad rush, discarded its highly praised state academic-content standards, accepted the comparatively less-rigorous national standards, and now finds itself heading over a fiscal cliff. The state ended up not getting the “Race to the Top” money, and instead has received an expensive bill to implement the new mediocre standards.

Comments

mcdez

April 12, 2012 at 10:21 pm

We were heading over a cliff anyway — at least education financing was — long before common core standards were adopted. 47th in the nation in per pupil funding. $20 billion cut from education over the last four years. Money diverted away from education, money deferred and not paid back. This was the state of education financing before the common core standards. Funds for K-12 need to be stable, reliable and protected from constant poaching. There’s another tax initiative that’s making its way to the ballot. It’s called “Our Children, Our Future” and it provides money for schools that is over and above any Prop 98 formula the governor concocts. It’s supported by the California State PTA.

Reply
- Linda Brees
  
  April 13, 2012 at 2:23 pm
  
  The balanced budget amendment that California has sure worked wonders! Now they never have any fiscal issues and the state is humming along just fine! Also, please don’t look behind the curtain.
  
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April 13, 2012 at 2:26 pm

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MattW

April 13, 2012 at 3:35 pm

Cue adolescent wailing about how “the taxes are too high.” And “I don’t want to pay for all the benefits I get from my country.”

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Mike McMahon

April 14, 2012 at 8:54 am

For more info on Common Core you can read this:

http://www.mikemcmahon.info/group/curriculum/common-core-standards-coming-soon/

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April 23, 2012 at 2:59 pm

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April 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm

[...] FACT: California is asking for tax hikes right now to pay for Common Core Implementation. http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/california-wants-a-tax-hike-to-pay-for-co... [...]

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April 27, 2012 at 6:42 pm

[...] FACT: California is asking for tax hikes right now to pay for Common Core Implementation. http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/california-wants-a-tax-hike-to-pay-for-co... [...]

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California Wants A Tax Hike to Pay For Common Core : online degree diploma

May 10, 2012 at 8:49 am

[...] Like a lemming, California joined the furious rush, discarded its highly praised greatness academic-content standards, accepted the comparatively less-rigorous national standards, and at this time finds itself heading over a financial cliff. The state ended up not getting the “Race to the Top” wealth, and instead has received an wasteful bill to implement the new mediocre standards.Source [...]

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