SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to the Legislative Analyst's Office recommendation that the Legislature not live up to our obligation to schools under this year's budget agreement and to not fully fund Proposition 98 in the upcoming budget cycle.

"During last year's fiscal crisis, the education community agreed to sacrifice funding owed to our schools to help the entire state weather the fiscal storm. This sacrifice included cutting $2 billion in the current year budget, resulting in a total of more than $9 billion cut from education over the past four years. The fact that these cuts were followed by the flattening of our test scores after five years of steady improvement certainly is no coincidence. While money is not the only factor, it plays a critical role in student achievement.

"Quality education must be made a priority. Not fulfilling our commitment to California students is absolutely the wrong thing to do. I strongly urge the Legislature and Governor to live up to the promise California voters made to our schools in 1988 when they approved Proposition 98 to specifically protect funding for education in good and bad economic cycles. California 's future success depends on the investments we make in our schools now."