Position on Proposition 82: Not good for our kids… Not good for our economy… Not good for existing preschools… It’s the Wrong Plan, Wrong Time. Here’s Why... 82 Stifles creative learning for preschoolers 82 Adds to already bloated bureaucracy 82 Harms existing preschool programs 82 Will only pay for 8% of at risk students 82 Could take funds from K-12 Education 82 Pays for existing preschool programs California needs to fix K-12 Education first! We do not need another layer of bureaucracy added to the already struggling system. Proposition 82 costs more than existing kindergarten programs, takes future needed teachers from K-12, and it targets high income earners who will use creative tax-planning that will decrease state general funds, thereby decreasing K-12 education funds.

Response to article Editorial: Prop. 82 not the best option - Preschool initiative too costly

While the Reiner Initiative, Prop 82, may sound good on the surface, it is the underlying facts that make it fiscally unfeasible. The governor has a plan for preschool at one-tenth the cost of the Reiner plan without the unfair tax increase. Prop 82 would take from teachers needed in K-12 where there is already an existing teacher shortage. With the recent repayment of funds to education, a preferred goal by educators and parents to introduce academic rigor and achievement is to reduce class sizes of K-8 to around 25:1. This is feasible because the current class size ratio of 20:1 in K-3 would even out with the higher student teacher ratio of approximately 30:1 in grades 4-8. This would provide for a better classroom education environment in all grades K-8, thereby increasing academic achievement overall. 9-12 student-teacher ratio could reach toward a goal of 30:1. This is not a cap. Due to smaller classes in other programs such as Special Education and Title I programs that often have classes smaller than twenty, mainstream classes often have 36 or more in each class. In order to enact these needed changes, it will take increased funding on a large scale. Declining enrollment districts are ripe for class-size reduction because existing classrooms will become available. The timing for Prop 82 and it's funding mechanism are simply not reasonable. Studies also show that students who do not attend preschool, catch up with their peers by third grade. A better alternative would be to make Kindergarten mandatory. There is not 100% attendance among Kindergarten students in California today. Mandatory Kindergarten is a natural progression of increased educational opportunities for all students. The governor's preschool plan will make preschool more available to preschool age children. In conclusion, safe schools, diagnostic tutoring, mandatory kindergarten, and a class-size reduction plan across the state beginning with declining enrollment districts will provide a better education for all students.

Posted by: Diane Lenning at May 25, 2006 01:15 PM

Campaign Contact Information

E-mail: diane@lenning.com
Phone: 714-960-4455
Fax: 714-960-4455

Diane Lenning for CA Superintendent of Public Instruction
Po Box 4306
Huntington Beach, CA 92605-4306