LAKE COUNTY — State and county officials reacted positively to Gov. Jerry Brown signing a bill into law Friday to restore school transportation funding for the current fiscal year.
“I”m proud of my colleagues in the legislature who — despite political party — came together for what is best for our children,” State Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) said in a statement.
“I applaud the Governor for his swift action which affirms the importance of access to education. I especially am grateful to the thousands of students, parents, teachers and advocates who rallied to save this important program,” she added.
Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) said he was “thrilled” by the actions of legislators and the governor.
Senate Bill 81, introduced by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, sought to restore nearly $248 million for home-to-school transportation for the current academic year.
“Home-to-School Transportation is an essential service in my district. This bill was signed just in time to save the jobs of many school bus drivers and ensure that there is no interruption in getting kids to school,” Chesbro stated.
School transport funds were set to be lost under midyear “trigger cuts” outlined by Brown in December, at which time he reported the state”s revenue had fallen more than $2.2 billion short of budget projections.
SB 81 passed both houses Feb. 2, and Brown signed it into law Friday. It became effective immediately.
“This is good news for Lake County schools,” Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook said.
The bill still establishes $248 million in K-12 funding cutbacks, but instead of the money being taken from transportation, it applies to the revenue limit for schools by increasing the deficit factor.
“It”s still a reduction but it”s not as severe a reduction,” Holbrook said.
He called the new cutbacks “more fair,” saying transportation reductions would have cost Lake County nearly $1 million whereas SB 81 results in a roughly $500,000 decrease for county schools.
The impact equates to a $42 reduction to the revenue limit per student, according to Holbrook.
He said the “next challenge” is addressing the governor”s plan to eliminate home-to-school transportation funding next fiscal year.
