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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement regarding the release of President Bush's fiscal year 2009 (FY09) budget:

"I recognize the need for reform of our educational infrastructure, especially the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, but reform can only go so far without additional funding. It is alarming that the President has only seen fit to match the overall funding level Congress appropriated for education in 2008. Furthermore, I am apprehensive about his call to eliminate or consolidate 47 U.S. Department of Education programs.

"The proposal calling for the elimination of career and technical education in NCLB is also worrying because it could limit the options our students have for success in the future. Not all children will go on to college, and for those that don't, we absolutely need to ensure they are effectively prepared for the rigors of the workforce and the real world."

O'Connell also noted his concern over the following budget proposals:

• Meager funding increases for Title I, Part A, which provides services to children identified as failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet state academic content standards and IDEA for special education school districts;
• No funding for Title V, Part A, which is designed to increase student achievement and support local educational reform; and
• Decreases in funding for teacher professional development and educational technology state grants by $100 million and $264 million, respectively.

O'Connell did, however, commend President Bush's decision to more than double funding for longitudinal data systems: "The use of quality information allows schools and districts to accurately measure progress and look at the ways they can do things differently and better to foster student success," O'Connell said.

"This is just the beginning of the budget process, but it is important for Congress, even at this early stage, to make its concerns known and call for meaningful reform coupled with the right kind of investments in education."