Sept. 2016 Advocate: YES on Proposition 55!

STATE EDUCATION FUNDING: VOTE NOVEMBER 8

Help our children thrive, vote YES on Proposition 55!

California students, schools and colleges can’t afford to go back to the days of massive teacher and staff layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs like art and music, and the state should protect essential services. 55-schoolsmatterProposition 55 does not raise taxes on anyone; it simply maintains the current income tax rates on the wealthiest Californians. Prop. 55 prevents nearly $4 billion in funding cuts to public education and protects other vital services, like children’s health care. Money goes to local schools and the Legislature can’t touch it. Proposition 55 contains strict accountability requirements to ensure funds designated for education go to classrooms, not to bureaucracy or administrative costs.

What Does Proposition 55 Do?

•    Prop. 55, the California Children’s Education and Health Care Protection Act of 2016, temporarily extends current income tax rates on the wealthiest Californians for 12 more years – couples earning more than $500,000 a year and singles earning more than $250,000.
•    Prop. 55 does not raise taxes on anyone.
•    Middle-class families and businesses will benefit when the temporary quarter-cent sales tax increase expires as planned at the end of this year. Prop. 55 does not extend this sales tax.
•    Prop. 55 will generate an estimated $8 billion per year on average to help our schools and colleges avoid cuts.
•    Revenues go into the Education Protection Account, a dedicated fund that directs monies to K-12 public schools and community colleges.
•    Revenues will also be used to improve access to health care for low-income children and their families.
•    Prop. 55 includes tough accountability and transparency requirements, including annual audits.

Why Proposition 55 is So Critical

•    California public school funding was cut to the bone during the recession and our schools and colleges are just starting to recover. In fact, we still rank among the lowest in the nation in per-student funding.
•    Prop. 55 protects our students and public schools from returning to the days of massive budget cuts, educator layoffs, larger classes and tuition hikes.
•    Prop. 55 also provides funding for state health care programs for low-income children to allow for improved access and care, so they have the care they need to come to school healthy and ready to learn.
•    Prop. 55 is not a tax increase. The wealthiest will temporarily continue paying the same amount they are now to protect schools and vital services from deep cuts.