UTLA held a joint lobby day in Sacramento with other LAUSD employee unions and district leadership in May to advocate for increased and more sustainable public education funding at the state level. 

Soon after, Governor Newsom released a revised state budget proposal that is a huge improvement over the January version. Total funding for TK-14 schools is now $6.4 billion higher than reported in January. The revised budget includes a $2.4 billion increase for Special Education and $1.5 billion for Community Schools.

Responding to pressure from union educators up and down California, Newsom also included 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave for all public TK-12 and community college employees in the revised budget proposal. This represents a significant step forward to ensuring educators can prioritize the care and support needed during and after pregnancy. If included in the final budget, the state’s 14 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave would be in addition to the four-week paid parental leave we just won in our agreement with LAUSD. 

While the funding boost is good news, the budget still withholds $3.9 billion from California’s Prop. 98 funding minimum. Educators are calling on the legislature and governor to deliver a final budget by the June 15 deadline that includes every guaranteed dollar owed to our students.