Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas applauded the governor and legislators for supporting the passage of legislation to extend Proposition 301. Once signed by the Governor into law, Senate Bill 1390 will effectively replicate the original language of Prop 301 and move the expiration date out to 2041.
“I am excited that the Legislature agreed to extend Prop 301 sooner rather than later in order to avoid the looming fiscal cliff,” Superintendent Douglas said. “Since schools throughout the state rely so heavily on Prop 301 revenues, the funding is essentially baked into their respective budgets. Now that this extension has been passed, I am committed more than ever to increasing teacher salaries and finding new revenue streams for education as quickly as possible.”
Last April, Superintendent Douglas released her plan to expand Prop 301 monies to a full 1 percent, which if supported by voters would generate $400 million annually for teacher salaries and school buildings, providing nearly $5,000 more in average take-home pay to teachers each year. The expansion would result in an immediate 11 percent raise for teachers and $100 million for school facilities, which could be utilized to help bolster school safety.
The Governor indicated that he will sign the new bill into law, preventing the voter-approved 0.6-cent sales tax from expiring in 2021. The new law will also move $64.1 million in additional funding to the classroom site fund, meaning more monies will be available for increasing teacher salaries.