Committee approves $100 million for declining enrollment

Wolk led legislative request for funds, which would be added to next year s budget

SACRAMENTO–The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance yesterday approved $100 million to help schools struggling with declining enrollment following a request spearheaded by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis).

“This issue is of critical importance to my suburban and rural school districts. This funding will begin to address those districts’ critical need for financial assistance,” said Wolk. “The Governor did not include funding for declining enrollment in his budget. Now we have $100 million. It’s a start.”

Last month, Wolk and a group of legislators urged the Assembly Budget Committee to add funding for school districts impacted by declining enrollment to next year’s State Budget, responding to a lack of any additional funding for school districts in the budget to address declining enrollment.

“We believe that it is truly shortsighted (not to fund declining enrollment) given that almost half of our school districts are experiencing some level of declining enrollment,” wrote five Members in a joint letter, “Declining enrollment is not just a problem experienced by many large urban school districts, which serve more than half of the state’s pupils. It is also a growing phenomenon in suburban and rural districts, many of which we represent. The reasons for decline are as varied as the impacted districts. But the devastating impact, a dramatic reduction in a school districts funding after its first year in decline, is the same.”

Wolk wrote the joint letter to the Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education along with fellow Assembly Members Gene Mullin (D-South San Francisco), Dario Frommer (D-Glendale), Patty Berg (D-Eureka) and Nicole Parra (D-Hanford).

Wolk is also the principal coauthor of Senate Bill 958 by Senator Joe Simitian, which allows districts with declining enrollment to average their average daily attendance (ADA) over a three year period, delaying funding reductions caused by declining attendance.

Under current law, declining enrollment districts may receive funding for the prior year’s ADA. However, Wolk explains, this only provides protection for one year. The following year, a district faces a huge budget reduction.

The issue will next be addressed in the Budget Conference Committee.