The governor's revised budget means good news for education. The proposed budget would restore $3 billion to K-12 education.
It is too soon to know if the new budget will answer some of our big questions. Will pink slips for teachers will be rescinded? Will magnet programs be restored? Will transportation be back to business as usual?
Local educators are cautiously optimistic.
"It's not a final decision, the plan for next year, the target is still moving it's just swinging back toward benefiting our students," said San Diego County Board of Education superintendent Randy Ward, Ed.D.
After months of rallies and protests by teachers, parents, and students, the news is good. Three billion of the expected $4 billion cut to education would be restored under the Governor's revised budget.
Ward says that means almost $300 million to districts in this county -- if the legislature passes the proposed budget.
"There's still potential for class size going up," Ward said. "There's still potential for as many as 50,000 out of 300,000 teachers in the state to be laid off; all of that is still there. I don't think any person or anyone who cares about public education should let their guard down now."
Educators also caution the potential restoration of $3 billion in no way brings school districts back to where they were a few years ago. For example, San Diego Unified has cut $400 million over the last four years.
Even if the budget passes, educators warn the cuts will still have to be deep, just not as deep as under their planned doomsday scenario.
