The Sac bee is reporting that the Governor is proposing more than $4 billion in new spending for k-12...

Governor proposes to give schools a boost
By Clea Benson -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 1:26 pm PST Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Seeking to mend fences with education advocates who said he shortchanged schools in this year's budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose an additional $4.3 billion for schools next year, California Education Secretary Alan Bersin said Tuesday.

The increase is about $4 billion less than schools advocates say is owed under the terms of Proposition 98, the state law that guarantees a certain level of funding each year for education. But unlike last year, when they said they were betrayed, education groups are taking a friendly tone.

"We're saying it's a constructive step," said Scott Plotkin, director of the California School Boards Association, who met with the governor this morning along with the heads of other education groups.

The governor's spending plan will allocate a total of $54.3 billion for kindergarten through 12th grade education, Bersin said. Some of the money will be earmarked for programs the governor wants to promote, such as incentives for teachers to work at low-performing schools, arts and music education, and mentoring for teachers.

Bersin said Schwarzenegger's proposed education initiatives were "statements by this governor of his values and what he believes in."

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I, for one, would like to know where the money is going to be spent...

T