Wolk environmental measures win fiscal approval

Bills pass out of Appropriations and on to Assembly floor for vote

SACRAMENTO– Legislation by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) to solve a unique funding problem faced by school districts with campuses on high-security military bases passed from the Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday. 

Currently, the funding formula used to determine eligibility for state school facility bond dollars emphasizes available classroom space without regard for other extraneous factors such as the difficulty of housing students at the site given the unique nature of the school located on the high security military base.

“The problem is that security on military bases, heightened after the terrorist attacks of September 11, has made it difficult if not impossible for students from non-military families living off base to attend these schools,” said Wolk. “Often, entire classrooms are empty. And each empty classroom is counted toward the district’s housing capacity, negatively affecting its eligibility for funds to construct new schools—even if the district’s other campuses are overcrowded. My legislation resolves this inequity by enabling school districts to more accurately assess their eligibility for new school construction funding.”

Specifically, AB 134 allows districts with campuses on high-security military bases to be calculated on the actual enrollment of students at schools on these bases, thus allowing a more accurate calculation of the need for new schools in the district.

“This legislation will be a tremendous help to districts who serve military-connected students by reserving seats on the military campuses for dependents of military personnel. It will also allow us to keep students closer to their areas of residence by providing seats within the surrounding community,” said Kate Wren Gavlak, Superintendent of the Travis Unified School District , which is cosponsoring the bill with Sierra Sands Unified School District and Wheatland Elementary School District . All of the districts incorporate schools located on military bases.