> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Educators tout Schwarzenegger propositions - URL: https://www.smdp.com/educators-tout-schwarzenegger-propositions/ - Published: 2004-02-19T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:50:37.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Millions of dollars at stake for local schools* If Propositions 57 and 58 fail at the polls March 2, every school in Santa Monica will feel the effects of a paralyzing budget crush, educators said Wednesday. For local K-12 schools, there will be a $14 million overnight reduction in funding — meaning more than 100 teachers and 75 classified workers will lose their jobs, while programs and classes will be under siege, schools superintendent John Deasy said. A similar situation is true at Santa Monica College, where millions of dollars in cost-of-living increases, growth money and other state funds are at stake. Those benefits are part of the proposed state budget, which will be redrafted if the propositions fail. The two propositions are designed to help lift California out of its budget deficit and allow it to adequately fund education throughout the state. Prop. 57 calls for a $15.2 billion bond, to be paid back between nine and 14 years. That bond would replace a $10.7 billion bond enacted by the legislature that is under attack in court because it wasn’t approved by voters. Prop. 58 demands politicians enact a balanced state budget, sets up an $8 billion reserve and prohibits future deficit bonds, like Prop. 57\. The two are tied together, meaning both need to pass on March 2 in order to take effect. Deasy said local schools can expect a 15 percent reduction — across the board — if the propositions fail. The district oversees a budget in excess of $90 million. “If they don’t pass, we’re going to face an absolute, catastrophic reduction of the budget, that’s really clear,” he said. “It’s one of those things where there’s a difficult decision — to encumber more debt — but there aren’t any alternatives. It’s a pretty disturbing situation.” Margaret Quinones, chair of the board of trustees at SMC, agreed. “Let’s just say it would gut a lot of our budget,” said Quinones, who was part of a unanimous vote by the college board earlier this month to endorse the paired propositions. “Not only our budget, but other colleges in California — and schools.” SMC has a lot riding on the propositions because of the proposed budget issued last month by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Among other things, the proposed budget calls for 3 percent growth at the college — and the funding to do it — as well as a cost-of-living increase for college workers of 1.84 percent and anywhere from $2.7 million to $3.6 million in equalization funds to reimburse SMC, which has long been the lowest-funded community college in California. “It’s kind of really a simple case of math,” SMC spokesman Bruce Smith said. “As (SMC president Piedad F. Robertson) says, ‘All bets are off if these don’t pass.’” Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a non-profit, non-partisan group that tracks government, said because public schools make up nearly half of the budget in California, the impact will be widely felt if Props. 57 and 58 don’t pass. Stern, who recently completed an analysis of the propositions, said their success also will likely determine Schwarzenegger’s reelection prospects. If the propositions don’t pass, Schwarzenegger likely will be forced to make major cuts, as well as raise taxes. “If it doesn’t pass, the state is likely to be out of cash in June,” Stern said. Opponents of Prop. 57 say California’s woes could be eliminated by reducing state spending by 13.4 percent. They say the proposition will cost each family in the state $2,000 a year, either in possible additional taxes or taking away from other programs. On Prop. 58, opponents argue it’s a toothless plan that would not fix the problem, because it’s full of loopholes and therefore won’t do what it’s supposed to do, Stern explained. Stern, whose analysis of both sides is expected to appear this weekend in the San Diego Union-Tribune, said Schwarzenegger’s plan is likely to work, if approved. “It will work to a certain extent,” he said. “There still may be a deficit. A lot of this depends on the economy... but there will be a huge deficit if they don’t pass and it will have to be addressed, regardless of what the economy does... “These propositions will tell us how Californians feels about California — whether they want to invest in California, or whether they basically want services cut.” John Deasy *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 19, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021904.pdf?ref=smdp.com)