The State Budget assumes Voters passing the Governor’s Tax Initiative in November.  The initiative is officially titled the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act, and will be Proposition 30 on the ballot.  Proposition 30, if passed, will generate about $8 billion in new sales taxes and income taxes for the State.

• The State will short Delhi $4 million in revenue for 2012-13—guaranteed—regardless of whether or not Proposition 30 passes or fails.

• If Proposition 30 passes, schools get no share of the additional taxes.

• If Proposition 30 fails, the State will penalize Delhi Schools with an additional $1 million reduction of revenue.

You may have heard that if the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act fails, school calendars will be reduced 20 days in both 2012-13 and 2013-14.

• This is both true and not true, and is being used as a scare tactic by supporters of Proposition 30 to induce voters to support the Proposition. 
• The true part is that if Proposition 30 does not pass, school district will be allowed to negotiate with Unions to reduce school calendars an additional 15 days above the 5 already approved. 
• The untrue part is the perception that the reduced calendar is automatic if Proposition 30 does not pass.
• What isn’t addressed in the Budget is how you educate students with a 160 day calendar. 
• Please note that a further reduction of instructional days for Delhi students in not being considered.

The most important thing to know is that if the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act passes—schools are not saved.  The State will still short Delhi Schools $4 million every year below what we are legally entitled to receive, and the State economy is recovering very slowly.

Delhi Unified School District has a $20 million budget.  If last year, the State funded all the revenue we were entitled to, and gave us all the cash it owed us—we would have an additional $8 million in cash right now.