Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said earlier this week that $1.2 billion in new federal aid for teachers is "separate from the budget," a change from remarks a couple weeks ago.
The Sacramento Democrat previously suggested that California should consider a new federal aid package as beneficial for the state budget particularly because the $1.2 billion for teacher jobs was unexpected relief.
But education groups argued that the federal teacher aid should be considered on top of any money state leaders already planned to give schools. They want the money to be ignored in the budget process.
In an online town hall Tuesday, Steinberg said he agrees with that position. He pointed to urgency legislation that he and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez introduced last week that would provide schools the money before the budget is passed.
"That is separate from the budget," Steinberg said. "Even if you take that $1.2 billion, and you add it to our funding level for K-12 education, it barely gets you there in terms of keeping the per pupil spending ratio what it was last year. ... We're going to fight for as high a level of education funding as we can, even in these difficult times."
PHOTO CAPTION: Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) sits in the principal's office at Smythe Academy Middle School in Sacramento on Thursday, August 12, 2010. Randall Benton/ Sacramento Bee
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