Support CA Kids!: Send Letter to Your Legislator


	Type Email address in box:

"The time to act is now, before legislators begin to view education as the place where budgets are balanced."

-Marie Correa, Founder

Dear Assembly Member/Senator (last name):

I am writing to you on behalf of the Support California Kids Foundation asking you to make education a funding priority. Our foundation represents parents and concerned community members who recognize the vital role of public education and the need to maintain its core purpose. We are very aware of the painful choices that must be made as you go through the budget process and we ask that you consider the long-term repercussions of depriving our children of an adequate education.

The State Constitution requires the State to reimburse school districts when the State mandates a new program or higher level of service. Because of the States budget difficulties, the State has not provided reimbursements for many mandated costs, instead opting to defer mandates for future payment. Currently, the State owes school districts $2,452,411,844. The current level of accrued interest charges is $86,393,244. This is an unreal amount in a time of unprecedented economic crisis causing the following detrimental issues:

•	By implementing mandates without funding you are depleting our schools of critical classroom resources.
•	The lengthy Test Claim process by which districts can request reimbursement places additional financial burdens on our schools.
•	The lack of priority placed on adequately reimbursing our schools for the costs incurred in implementing the mandates suggest that the mandates themselves are not enough of a high priority supporting the argument that the State needs to review and sustain only the critical mandates that they can afford to fund on an annual basis.

Support California Kids has a diverse membership that is united by their support for maintaining educational funding. We all have different positions on common issues but are united in the belief that during an economic crisis our State Leaders should make Education a priority. We want the following solutions considered:

•	All unfunded mandates should be immediately Suspended and reviewed for their relevance.
•	All mandates deemed irrelevant or duplicative shall be immediately eliminated.
•	As with Local Agency Mandates, the Legislature should enter into an agreement to pay off the current Education Mandate balance over time.
•	As with Local Agency Mandates, Education Mandates deemed necessary shall be prioritized and only fully funded mandates will be implemented by the districts.
•	School districts may continue to apply for reimbursements via the Commission on State Mandates for costs incurred.
•	The Legislature should increase funding and staffing levels at the Commission on State Mandates to decrease the time it takes to approve or deny a mandate test claim or incorrect reduction claim.

We are all feeling the strain and making tremendous sacrifices. We need you, our elected leaders, to publicly acknowledge that you understand the current situation and are committed to working together in finding solutions. We want you to take a leadership role in finding and implementing real results. This will require personal sacrifices that may reach into your comfort zones; just remember it is for the betterment of our State. This is your time to be our children’s hero and make the hard decisions that will ultimately end California’s economic decline and start us back on the road to prosperity.

We appreciate your attention in this matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

(Name & Address)

If you would like to send a hard copy to your Legislator download a sample copy:

English version

Thank you for being a part of Support CA Kids!