November 9, 2005
California Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Issues Statement
on Ballot Results One Day After Election is Called
Voters Overwhelmingly Support Funding for Schools
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement after 100 percent of precincts had reported election results:
"One day after the special election, an in-depth review of the results highlights a strong call from Californians to invest in our schools and to work together to solve California's most challenging problems.
"The clearest examples of this commitment were local school bond measures up and down the state. Twenty-six out of 28 local communities approved spending additional resources on their schools. Those votes collectively will provide nearly $6 billion for public school facilities. In addition, four communities approved local parcel tax increases to attract and retain experienced teachers and expand services to improve student achievement.
"Statewide, voters' sound rejection of Proposition 76, which threatened to reduce state funding for local schools, indicates an unwillingness to achieve budgetary reform at the expense of public education. And by voting ‘no' on Proposition 74, Californians signaled an understanding of the critical need to attract the best and brightest in our society to the teaching profession.
"Yet, we know that schools need to do more to better prepare all students for a demanding, global economy, and to close the achievement gap that threatens the future success of far too many minority and low-income students. We need to find ways to attract and retain excellent teachers — nearly 100,000 of them over the next decade — and to make sure every student at every school has the benefit of dedicated, highly qualified teachers. We need to make technology and rigorous, real-world career preparation available to all students and to prepare all students with more challenging courses in science and math.
"It's critically important to the future of our state that we find ways to adequately fund and thoughtfully and efficiently implement the programs necessary to achieve these goals.
"Now, it is time to put the election behind us, to find that common ground and work together on the serious business of fulfilling the great potential of the most diverse and challenging student population in the nation."
