Bay Area schools push back Newsom's latest budget proposal over funding concerns

School leaders across the Bay Area are raising concerns over Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest budget proposal, warning it could create even more financial strain for districts already dealing with rising costs, staffing challenges and budget shortfalls.

At the center of the debate is a proposal to withhold $5.6 billion in constitutionally mandated education funding guaranteed under Proposition 98.

More than 20 Bay Area school board leaders, including Fremont Unified School District Board President Dianne Jones, have signed a letter urging state lawmakers to reject the plan.

Parents say the stakes are high. Fremont parent Ksenia Filippova worries the loss of funding could mean larger class sizes, fewer teachers and cuts to important school programs.

"School classes got bigger and funding gets smaller, but prices for everything, supplies and even food get higher and higher," she said.

In Fremont Unified, officials say the district is especially vulnerable. Jones said per-student funding in Fremont is already far below state and county averages, ranking in the bottom 4%.

"We're in a constant state of budget reductions, and having money withheld at this point in time is devastating, particularly for districts like Fremont that are already really underfunded," Jones said.

The California Teachers Association is also sharply criticizing the governor's proposal. CTA President David Goldberg said more than 100 school districts across the state have already issued about 2,400 preliminary layoff notices over the past month. The union says Bay Area districts alone could lose more than $586 million if the plan moves forward.

"When a governor goes around a constitutionally passed law that our voters voted for, that sends shockwaves," Goldberg said. "It really makes the instability of our education even that much more perilous."

Supporters of public education note that while Newsom's proposal would increase overall education spending by more than $10 billion next year, the state would still be withholding money schools are counting on now. Critics argue that it runs counter to the purpose of Proposition 98, which was specifically designed to protect school funding, even during economic downturns.

Jones said Fremont Unified has already faced moderate layoffs, and warned that withholding funds could make things worse in the years ahead.

"This will definitely exacerbate the problem, and for many districts that are already looking at significant layoffs, this will make it absolutely worse," she said.

She added that 17 of the 18 school districts in Alameda County, including Fremont, are already deficit spending this year. Under the governor's proposal, more than $28 million in funding could be at risk for Fremont Unified in the next fiscal year.

"Every time that there is something that holds money back from us, it impacts what we can do for our students and staff," Jones said.

Newsom's proposal is still in the early stages. State lawmakers will debate and negotiate the budget in the coming months before a final version is approved this summer.